A Life Shaped by Two Shores Armando Menocal was born into a cultivated family in Havana on July 8, 1863. His early years were rooted in the traditions of his home city, where he began his formal training at the Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro under Miguel Melero. At seventeen, his path took him far from Cuba to Spain, a move intended to deepen his understanding of the craft. During his decade abroad, he studied under F…