Editing Fidel Castro (section)

==Personal and public life==
===Personality===
{{see also|Religious views of Fidel Castro|Fidel Castro and dairy}}
Juan Reynaldo Sánchez, Castro's former bodyguard, detailed much of his personal and private life in his book ''The Double Life of Fidel Castro''. He described Castro as "Nothing ordinary about him at all, he is unique, special, and different."{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=60}} He profiled him as an [[egocentric]] who loved being the center of attention and, with his almost electric charisma, grabbed the attention of the people around him. He was also highly manipulative; with his formidable intelligence, he could easily manipulate a person or group of people. In addition, he was repetitive and obsessive. In discussions with his colleagues or foreigners, he would repeat the same things until they were convinced he was right. It was impossible to contradict him on any subject whatsoever. Anyone who attempted to convince him that he was wrong or even made a suggestion that it could be improved slightly was making a "fatal error". Fidel would then make a mental mark of the individual as an "idiot" and wait for the right time to retaliate against them.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=5}} Nobody, not even Raúl was exempt from this; despite being the [[Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (Cuba)|minister of the armed forces]], he would bring seemingly minor military decisions to Castro for his final approval to avoid inadvertently contradicting him.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=192}} Sánchez believed that General Arnaldo Ochoa's downfall was significantly related to his willingness to contradict Fidel's orders in Angola.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=57}}

Biographer [[Leycester Coltman]] described Castro as "fiercely hard-working, dedicated, loyal&nbsp;... generous and magnanimous" but noted that he could be "vindictive and unforgiving". He asserted that Castro "always had a keen sense of humor and could laugh at himself" but could equally be "a bad loser" who would act with "ferocious rage if he thought that he was being humiliated".{{Sfn|Coltman|2003|p=14}} Publicly, he was known for throwing tantrums and could make "snap judgments", which he refused to back down from.{{sfn|Quirk|1993|p=494}} In private, though, Castro was skilled at keeping his anger in check and not allowing it to affect his judgment, simply becoming cold and withdrawn; Sánchez stated that in 17 years, he had only seen Castro explode in anger twice, one upon being informed of his daughter Alina's defection in 1993.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=72}}

Castro was known for working long hours; he primarily woke up late—rarely before ten or eleven in the morning—and started his working day around noon, and would work until late at night, often only going to bed at 3 or 4&nbsp;am.{{sfn|Coltman|2003|p=219}} He preferred to meet foreign diplomats in these early hours, believing that they would be tired and he could gain the upper hand in negotiations.{{sfn|Quirk|1993|p=11}} Castro liked to meet with ordinary citizens, both in Cuba and abroad, but took a particularly paternal attitude toward Cubans, treating them as if "they were a part of his own giant family."{{Sfn|Bourne |1986|p=273}} British historian [[Alex von Tunzelmann]] commented that "though ruthless, [Castro] was a patriot, a man with a profound sense that it was his mission to save the Cuban people." Political scientist Paul C. Sondrol characterized Castro as "quintessentially [[totalitarianism|totalitarian]] in his charismatic appeal, utopian functional role and public, transformative utilisation of power."{{sfn|Sondrol|1991|p=601}}{{sfn|Von Tunzelmann|2011|p=94}}

[[File:Fidel castro angel 1954.jpg|thumb|Castro with his son Ángel in 1954]]
Balfour described Castro as having a "voracity for knowledge" and "elephantine memory" that allowed him to speak for hours on various subjects.{{sfn|Balfour|1995|p=180}} His hero was [[Alexander the Great]], whose Spanish equivalent ''Alejandro'' he adopted as his ''nom de guerre''.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=74}} Castro was a voracious reader; amongst his favorite authors were [[Ernest Hemingway]], [[Franz Kafka]], [[William Shakespeare]], and [[Maxim Gorky]]. He named ''[[For Whom the Bell Tolls]]'' his favorite book, committing several portions of the novel to memory and using some of its lessons as a guerrilla fighter.{{sfn|Bourne|1986|p=204}} He enjoyed art and photography and was known as a patron of both within Cuba but was uninterested in music and disliked dancing.{{sfn|Coltman|2003|p=224}}{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=60}} He was also an avid fan of cinema, particularly Soviet films. His favorite film was the five-hour long 1967 adaption of [[Leo Tolstoy]]'s ''[[War and Peace (film series)|War and Peace]]''.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=48}} Castro had a lifelong passion, almost obsession, with cows and, starting in 1966, with bovine genetics and breeding. State media frequently published details of his attempts to breed cows with increased milk yields.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=44}} This interest reached its peak in 1982 when a cow that Fidel had bred, "[[Ubre Blanca]]", broke the Guinness World Record for producing 29 gallons of milk live on national television. She was promoted into a national celebrity and propaganda tool, and when the cow died in 1985, ''Granma'' published an official obituary for her on the front page, and the postal service issued stamps in her honor.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=44}}

[[Fidel Castro's religious beliefs]] have been a matter of some debate; he was [[baptized]] and raised as a Roman Catholic. He criticized the use of the Bible to justify the oppression of women and Africans,{{sfn|Castro|Ramonet|2009|pp=40–41}} but commented that Christianity exhibited "a group of very humane precepts" which gave the world "ethical values" and a "sense of social justice", relating, "If people call me Christian, not from the standpoint of religion but from the standpoint of social vision, I declare that I am a Christian."{{sfn|Castro|Ramonet|2009|p=156}} During a visit of American minister and activist [[Jesse Jackson]], Castro accompanied him to a [[Methodist]] church service where he even spoke from the pulpit with a Bible before him, an event that marked a beginning of increased openness towards Christianity in Cuba.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RuY08UQFRfwC&dq=%22fidel+castro%22+%22methodist+church%22+%22pulpit%22&pg=PA262 | title=The Cambridge Companion to Black Theology | isbn=9780521705691 | last1=Hopkins | first1=Dwight N. | last2=Antonio | first2=Edward P. | date=26 July 2012 | publisher=Cambridge University Press | access-date=23 May 2022 | archive-date=22 September 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922145023/https://books.google.com/books?id=RuY08UQFRfwC&dq=%22fidel+castro%22+%22methodist+church%22+%22pulpit%22&pg=PA262 | url-status=live }}</ref> He promoted the idea that [[Jesus in Christianity|Jesus Christ]] was a communist, citing the [[Feeding the multitude|feeding of the 5,000]] and the story of [[Jesus and the rich young man]] as evidence.{{sfn|Quirk|1993|p=695}}

===Public image===
[[File:Barbudos - Fidel Castro and Camilo Cienfuegos.jpg|thumb|Castro and [[Camilo Cienfuegos]] photographed before playing baseball, wearing self-styled "[[Barbudos|barbudo]]" (beared-ones) team shirts.]]
Within Cuba, Castro was primarily referred to by his official military title ''Comandante En Jefe''; he was usually addressed as ''Comandante'' (The Commander) in general discourse as well as in person but could also be addressed as ''El Jefe'' (the Chief) in the third person, particularly within the party and military command.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=11}} Castro was often nicknamed "''El Caballo''" ("The Horse"), a label attributed to Cuban entertainer [[Benny Moré]], which alludes to Castro's well-known philandering during the 1950s and early 1960s.{{sfnm|1a1=Coltman|1y=2003|1p=219|2a1=Gott|2y=2004|2p=175}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/26/havana-mourning-cubans-fidelista-fidel-castro|title=Havana in mourning: 'We Cubans are Fidelista even if we are not communist'|first1=Stephen|last1=Gibbs|first2=Jonathan|last2=Watts|first3=Ted|last3=Francis|date=26 November 2016|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=14 October 2018|archive-date=14 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014164928/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/26/havana-mourning-cubans-fidelista-fidel-castro|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Bardach|first=Ann Louise|url=https://psmag.com/social-justice/well-always-have-fidel-48159|title=We'll always have Fidel|magazine=Pacific Standard|date=15 October 2012|access-date=14 October 2018|archive-date=14 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014165032/https://psmag.com/social-justice/well-always-have-fidel-48159|url-status=live}}</ref>

With his [[wikt:logorrheic|logorrheic]] oratorical abilities and profound charisma, Castro was highly skilled at manipulation and deception, quickly whipping up his audience and entire population segments into support. Large throngs of supporters gathered to cheer at Castro's fiery speeches, which typically lasted for hours (even outdoors in inclement weather) and without the use of written notes.{{sfn|Quirk|1993|pp=312, 688}} During speeches, Castro regularly cited reports and books he had read on various subjects, including military matters, plant cultivation, filmmaking, and chess strategies.{{sfn|Quirk|1993|pp=352–353}} Officially, the Cuban government did maintain a [[cult of personality]]. However, unlike other Soviet-era leaders and his allies, it was less widespread and took on a more subtle and discreet form.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=244}} There were no statues or large portraits of him but rather signs with "thoughts" of the ''Comandante''. His popularity among segments of the Cuban populace led to one development without the government's involvement. It would be used to judge each individual's devotion to his "revolutionary cause".{{Sfnm|1a1=Quirk|1y=1993|1p=255|2a1=Gott|2y=2004|2p=325}} Indeed, by 2006, Castro's image could frequently be found in Cuban stores, classrooms, taxicabs, and on national television.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4779529.stm |title=Ailing Castro still dominates Cuba |work=BBC News |date=11 August 2006 |access-date=13 January 2010 |archive-date=20 October 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061020122142/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4779529.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> In private, however, Castro hated such idolization campaigns and believed that he had intellectual ascendancy over leaders who engaged in such behavior, such as his friend [[Kim Il Sung]] of [[North Korea]] whose cult of personality he considered excessive, outlandish and unreasonable.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=245}}

[[File:Fidel Castro 2012.jpg|thumb|Castro in his characteristic green fatigues, 2012]]
He gave no importance to his appearance or clothing; for 37 years, he wore only his trademark olive-green military fatigues or the standard [[MINFAR]] dress uniform for formal events and special occasions, emphasizing his role as the perpetual revolutionary, but in the mid-1990s began wearing dark civilian suits and ''[[guayabera]]'' in public.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=303–304}} At over {{convert|6|ft|3|in}} tall with a few inches added from his combat boots, Castro usually towered over most foreign leaders he met with, giving him a dominating presence in any room or photo that was taken, which he used to his advantage (for comparison, [[Abraham Lincoln]] and [[Charles de Gaulle]], both well known for their tall heights, stood at 6'4" and 6'5", respectively). Until his uprising against Batista, Castro typically kept a pencil-thin mustache and combed back hair, typical of upper-class Cuban men in the 1950s, but grew out both during his years as a guerrilla fighter and retained them afterward. Castro also disliked worrying about his appearance and hated shaving, making the beard and uniform all the more convenient for him.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=56}} His uniform was also kept simple; he never wore any medals or decorations, and his only marker of rank was the {{lang|es|Comandante El Jefe}} insignia stitched on the shoulder straps. Until the 1990s, he wore combat boots, but he abandoned them for sneakers and tennis shoes instead due to orthopedic issues. Around his waist, he often carried a 9mm Browning pistol in a brown leather holster with three additional magazines.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=105}} His weapon of choice was a 7.62 Kalashnikov [[AKM]], which Castro occasionally carried with him during the 1960s but was later kept stored in a suitcase carried by one of the members of his escort or kept placed between his feet while driving along with five cartridges; he frequently used it during shooting exercises and practice.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=129}} Castro had a lifelong love of guns and was considered an expert sharpshooter, impressing foreign visitors and even holding up against members of his elite bodyguards who engaged in frequent competition with him.{{sfn|Quirk|1993|pp=10, 255}}

Castro's most iconic public feature eventually became the Cuban cigar he smoked daily. Introduced to it by his father at the age of 15, Castro continued the habit for almost 44 years except for a brief period during the 1950s while he was a guerrilla fighter and boycotting against Batista-linked tobacco firms.<ref name="cigaraficionado.com">{{cite magazine|last=Shanken|first=Marvin R.|authorlink=Marvin R. Shanken|date=Summer 1994|title=A Conversation With Fidel|url=https://www.cigaraficionado.com/article/a-conversation-with-fidel-6005|magazine=[[Cigar Aficionado]]|language=en|location=Havana|publication-place=New York City|access-date=15 May 2021|archive-date=22 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422142808/https://www.cigaraficionado.com/article/a-conversation-with-fidel-6005|url-status=live}}</ref> Castro claimed that he quit around 1985 during an anti-smoking campaign promoted by the Communist Party. Sánchez disputes this, saying that his doctor had Castro reduce his cigar usage starting in 1980 and quit entirely in 1983 after a cancerous ulcer was found in his intestine.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=274}} Prior to the Revolution, Castro smoked various brands including [[Romeo y Julieta (cigar)|Romeo y Julieta]] Churchill, [[H. Upmann]], Bauza, and [[Partagás (cigar brand)|Partagás]]. In the early 1960s, Castro saw one of his bodyguards smoking a noticeably aromatic but unbranded cigar. Castro and the bodyguard located the cigar maker, Eduardo Ribera, who agreed to establish the El Laguito Factory and branded the cigars as [[Cohiba (cigar brand)|Cohiba]] which became Castro's signature brand and elevating its profile internationally.<ref name="cigaraficionado.com"/> Initially restricted for his private use and other members of the Politburo, it was later presented as diplomatic gifts for allied countries and friends of Castro, most notably seen smoked by [[Che Guevara]], [[Josip Broz Tito]], [[Houari Boumédiène]], [[Sukarno]], and [[Saddam Hussein]].<ref name="cigaraficionado.com"/>

===Lifestyle===
Castro's primary residence was at ''Punto Cero'', a large and vegetative estate approximately 6&nbsp;km from the ''Palacio de la Revolution'' in the Siboney neighborhood.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=79}} The main house is an L-shaped two-story family mansion with a 600-square-yard footprint, a 50-foot-long swimming pool, six greenhouses providing fruit and vegetables for Fidel's and Raúl's families as well as their bodyguard units, and a large lawn with free-range chickens and cows. Close by is a second two-story building that houses the bodyguards and the domestic staff.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=79}} The house was decorated in a classical Caribbean style, with local wicker and wood furniture, porcelain plates, watercolor paintings, and art books. Sánchez described the estate as naturally beautiful and tastefully decorated, and while considered luxurious for the average Cuban, was not lavish or over-the-top compared to the residences of the [[Somoza family|Somoza clan]] or the [[Kim family (North Korea)|Kim dynasty]] of North Korea.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=80}} Raúl and [[Vilma Espín|Vilma]]'s house ''La Rinconada'' is located close by on 222nd street. Raúl usually hosted large family barbecues on Sundays, where Fidel would sometimes come, giving his extended family, sisters, and elder brother Ramón a rare opportunity to see him.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=195}} Next to ''Punto Cero'' is ''Unit 160'' which was the base of Fidel's bodyguard units. The base was over five acres large and surrounded by high walls, essentially a "city within a city" consisting of support personnel for transportation, communications, electronics, and food, and an extensive armory of Kalashnikovs, Makarovs, and Brownings. Members of that unit also assisted in Fidel's passion for Bovine breeding, and a stable was kept for some of Fidel's most prized cows.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=49}}

In addition to "Punto Cero", Castro had five other residences in Havana: ''Casa Cojimar'', his initial home after 1959 but disused by the 1970s; a house on 160th Street near the Playa district; ''Casa Carbonell'', maintained by Cuban Intelligence for his covert meetings with representatives of foreign groups or intelligence assets; A beach house in Santa Maria del Mar (next to the Tropico Hotel); and two houses retrofitted with air-raid shelters and connected to the MINFAR command bunkers for use in war: ''Casa Punta Brava'' (Dalia's old house before meeting Fidel) and ''Casa Gallego'', near the bodyguards base at Unit 160. In the west of Cuba, he had three residences: ''Casa Americana'' (confiscated from an American businessman connected to Batista); ''Rancho la Tranquilidad'' in the locality of Mil Cumbres; and La Deseada, a hunting lodge utilized in the winter for duck hunting and fishing trips. He also had two homes in Matanzas, one in Ciego de Avila, a horse ranch ''Hacienda San Cayetano'' in [[Camagüey]] along with another house in a vacation compound for the Politburo nearby, ''Casa Guardalavaca'' in Holguin, and two residences in Santiago de Cuba (one of which is shared with [[Ramiro Valdes]]).{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=268}}

Castro's main vacation destination was Cayo de Piedra, a small key island formerly the site of a lighthouse, approximately a mile long and divided into two by a cyclone in the 1960s. He came upon the island by accident while reviewing the region in the aftermath of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. Instantly falling in love with the island, he ordered it closed off and had the lighthouse demolished.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=14}} [[Osmany Cienfuegos]] designed the private bungalow, guesthouse, bridge, marina, and a building for the use of the bodyguards and support staff.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=15}} He arrived from his inaccessible private marina near the Bay of Pigs, ''La Caleta del Rosario'', which also housed another residence and guesthouse.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=10}} Castro used two yachts, ''Aquarama I'', confiscated from a Batista Government official and later in the 1970s, the 90-foot white hull ''Aquarama II''. ''Aquarama II'', which was decorated with wood donated from [[Angola]], had two double cabins, one for Fidel's personal use, a main sitting room, two bathrooms, a bar, a secure communications suite, and was equipped with four [[Osa-class missile boat]] engines gifted from Brezhnev allowing for top speeds of over 42 Knots.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=9}} ''Aquarama II'' had two companion speedboats used by his escort, ''Pioniera I'' and ''Pioniera II''; one was equipped with a large cache of weapons, and another was equipped with medical equipment.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=7}}

Castro also had a keen interest in [[gastronomy]] and was known to wander into his kitchen to discuss cookery with his chefs.{{sfn|Coltman|2003|p=224}} His diet was quintessentially Cuban, based on traditional pescatarian cuisine and the additional influence from his father's native Galicia. All of his food was sourced from Punto Cero or fished from his private island of Cayo Piedra, except for cases of [[Algerian wine|Algerian Red Wine]] gifted initially from [[Houari Boumediene]] and continued by successive Algerian governments and Iraqi figs and fruit jams from Saddam Hussein.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=84}} Castro, who typically woke up in the late morning, usually had tea or fish [[broth|bouillon]] for breakfast accompanied by milk provided from one of the cows that grazed on ''Punto Cero''; they were all bred to provide milk which suited Castro's demanding taste. His lunches were also frugal, consisting of fish or seafood soup with fresh produce. Dinner was his primary meal, consisting of grilled fish, chicken, mutton, or even ''pata negra'' ham on special occasions, along with a large serving of green vegetables. However, he was prevented from eating beef or coffee by his dietician.{{Sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=83}}

Until 1979, Castro's primary vehicle was a black [[ZiL]] limousine, first an armored convertible [[ZIL-111]] from Khrushchev, a [[ZIL-114]] and briefly a [[ZIL-4104]] gifted to him by Leonid Brezhnev, while his escort would accompany him in several [[Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina|Alfa Romeo 1750s and 2000s]].{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=104}} In 1979, during the Non-Aligned Movement summit at Havana, Saddam Hussein gave Castro his Armored [[Mercedes-Benz W126|Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL]], which he had brought from Baghdad and became his sole transport for the rest of his life. Subsequently, Fidel ordered two mechanics from his bodyguard unit to West Germany to purchase several second-hand Mercedes-Benz 500s to replace the obsolete Alfa Romeos.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=104}} Castro always traveled with at least fourteen guards and four of his aides, spread out over four vehicles: three Mercedes-Benz and one Soviet Lada, which trailed the main convoy (to keep the military presence at a minimal). Whenever he would leave Havana, a fifth Mercedes would join the procession carrying his doctor, nurse, and photographer.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=100}}

''[[Forbes]]'' magazine ranked Castro as the 7th wealthiest ruler in the world at an estimated personal wealth of approximately 900 million US dollars in 2006 (going from 550 million US dollars in their 2005 list). The estimate is based on the magazine's assumption that Castro had economic control over a network of state-owned companies, including [[CIMEX]], Medicuba, the Havana Convention Palace, and the assumption that a portion of their profits went to Castro through investments.<ref name="aljazeera-2006">{{Cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2006/5/16/castro-denies-900m-fortune-claim |title=Castro denies $900m fortune claim |agency=[[Al Jazeera English]] |date=16 May 2006 |access-date=26 November 2023 |archive-date=28 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128035744/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2006/5/16/castro-denies-900m-fortune-claim |url-status=live }}</ref> Suggesting that Castro's fortune multiplied, growing from 103 million to 850 million euros (equivalent to 900 million dollars) in just three years,<ref name="informeorwell-2023">{{Cite web |last=Rincon |first=Emmanuel |date=6 October 2023 |title=Las multimillonarias herencias que los socialistas Hugo Chávez y Fidel Castro dejaron a sus familias |url=https://informeorwell.com/america-latina/las-multimillonarias-herencias-que-los-socialistas-hugo-chavez-y-fidel-castro-dejaron-a-sus-familias/ |access-date=11 October 2023 |website=Informe Orwell |language=es |archive-date=14 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014110121/https://informeorwell.com/america-latina/las-multimillonarias-herencias-que-los-socialistas-hugo-chavez-y-fidel-castro-dejaron-a-sus-familias/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="infobae-2016">{{Cite web |title=La fortuna que cosechó Fidel Castro, según la revista Forbes |url=https://www.infobae.com/america/america-latina/2016/11/27/la-fortuna-que-cosecho-fidel-castro-segun-la-revista-forbes/ |access-date=11 October 2023 |website=infobae |language=es-ES |archive-date=14 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014110119/https://www.infobae.com/america/america-latina/2016/11/27/la-fortuna-que-cosecho-fidel-castro-segun-la-revista-forbes/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="clarin-2016">{{Cite web |last=Clarín.com |date=28 November 2016 |title=La fortuna y extravagante vida de Fidel Castro, según Forbes |url=https://www.clarin.com/mundo/fortuna-extravagante-fidel-castro-forbes_0_Sy3TY3Kzg.html |access-date=11 October 2023 |website=Clarín |language=es |archive-date=14 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014110120/https://www.clarin.com/mundo/fortuna-extravagante-fidel-castro-forbes_0_Sy3TY3Kzg.html |url-status=live }}</ref> the ''Forbes'' article also referred to rumours of Castro's [[Banking in Switzerland|Swiss bank]] accounts with "large stashes" of this fortune.<ref name="aljazeera-2006"/> According to Juan Reinaldo Sánchez, a former personal bodyguard of Castro, his assets included Cayo Piedra, a private island; over twenty mansions; a marina with yachts; encrypted bank accounts; and a gold mine.<ref name="informeorwell-2023"/><ref name="infobae-2016"/><ref name="clarin-2016"/>

===Relationships===
[[File:Fidel Castro and Che Guevara marlin fishing off the coast of Cuba in 1960.jpg|thumb|250px|Fidel Castro and Che Guevara marlin fishing off the coast of Cuba in 1960]]
In his personal life, Castro was known for being distant, withdrawn, and confided in very few people. His closest and most trusted friend was [[Raúl Castro]], his younger brother by five years and longtime armed forces minister.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=41}} Although Raúl had a vastly contrasting, almost polar opposite personality to Castro, Sánchez described Raúl as complementing Castro's personality in all the ways that he is not. Whereas Fidel was "charismatic, energetic, visionary but extremely impulsive and disorganized," Raúl was described as a "natural, methodical, and uncompromising organizer." Castro spoke nearly daily with Raúl, met several times a week, and was a frequent visitor at Raúl and Vilma's house; Vilma was also considered close to Castro and often appeared publicly with him at national events.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=188}} Besides Raúl, Castro was not close to any of his other siblings, although he did have friendly relations with his elder brother [[Ramón Castro Ruz|Ramón]] and sister Angelita.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=187}} His sister [[Juanita Castro]] had been living in the United States since the early 1960s until her death in 2023 and was a public opponent of the Cuban regime.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,871241-1,00.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930065044/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,871241-1,00.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=30 September 2007| title=The Bitter Family (page 1 of 2)|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]| date=10 July 1964| access-date=19 February 2008}}</ref>

Outside his immediate family, Castro's closest friend was fellow revolutionary [[Celia Sánchez]], who accompanied him everywhere during the 1960s and controlled almost all access to the leader.{{sfn|Bourne|1986|pp=200–201}}{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=41}} Reynaldo Sánchez confirmed that Celia was indeed Castro's mistress and regarded her as the "true love of his life".{{Sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=41}} Castro provided a large apartment for Celia on 11th Street near Vedado, ''El Once'' whom Fidel visited every day before returning home. Over the years, Castro added an elevator, fitness room, and a bowling alley for his and Celia's personal use. He even provided bodyguards from his escort to Celia for her protection.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=42}}

Castro's closest male friends were the members of his immediate bodyguard unit, ''Escolta'' or the "Escort".{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=92}} His security was provided by Department 1 of the Personal Security Directorate of [[MININT]] (Ministry of the Interior). Department 1 was for Fidel's security, Department 2 was for Raúl and Vilma's, and Department 3 was for the members of the Politburo and so on.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=40}} Unlike the other MININT Departments, his and Raúl's units bypassed the standard chain of command and reported to them directly. Castro's security consisted of three concentric ''anillos'' or rings. The third ring consisted of thousands of soldiers in MININT and MINFAR who supported Logistics, air defense, Intelligence, etc.; The second ring consisted of eighty to one hundred soldiers who provided the outer perimeter security; And the first ring, the Elite ''Escolta'' or "The Escort", provided his immediate security and consisted of two teams of 15 elite soldiers who worked 24-hour shifts, along with around ten support staff.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=40}}

A soldier at heart, Castro had more affinity with his escort than his civilian family. He spent most of his time under their protection and were usually his companions in his personal interests.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=92}} A sports fan, he also spent much of his time trying to keep fit, undertaking regular exercise such as hunting, fly fishing, underwater fishing, scuba diving, and playing basketball.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=93}} They were also his companions on special events, such as his birthday or national holidays, during which they regularly exchanged gifts and engaged in one-sided discussions with Castro where he would recall his life stories. The members of Escort Castro were closest to the former Mayor of Havana, Jose "Pepín" Naranjo, who became his official aide until he died in 1995, and his physician, Eugenio Selman.{{Sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=11}}{{sfn|Bourne|1986|p=201}}<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/1995/dec/26/castro-adviser-66-dies-of-heart-attack/| title=Castro Adviser, 66, Dies of Heart Attack| work=The Spokesman Review| date=26 December 1995| access-date=31 May 2012| archive-date=10 May 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510143659/http://www.spokesman.com/stories/1995/dec/26/castro-adviser-66-dies-of-heart-attack/| url-status=live}}</ref> Outside of his escort, Castro was also close to [[Manuel Piñeiro|Manuel "Barbarroja" Pineiro]], the head of the American Department of the [[Dirección de Inteligencia|DGI]], [[Antonio Núñez Jiménez]], and the Colombian novelist [[Gabriel García Márquez]].{{sfn|Bourne|1986|p=299}}{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=94}}

===Marital history===
The Cuban government has never published an official marital history of Castro, with most information coming from defectors and scarce details published in state media and pieced together over the years.{{sfn|Skierka|2006|p=3}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/fidel/castro-family.htm |last=Tamayo |first=Juan O. |title=Fidel Castro's Family |work=The Miami Herald |via=Latinamericanstudies.org |date=8 October 2000 |access-date=13 January 2010 |archive-date=25 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925195101/http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/fidel/castro-family.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In his earlier years in power, he showcased some of his family life, in particular his eldest son Fidelito to portray himself as a regular "family man" to the apprehensive American audience, but eventually abandoned that as he became more concerned about his safety.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=65}} Throughout his rule, Castro never named an official "[[First Lady of Cuba|First Lady]]" and when the need for such a public female companion was necessary, [[Celia Sánchez]] or Raúl's wife, [[Vilma Espín]], would play such a role of ''la primera dama''.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=62}}

Sánchez described Castro as a compulsive lover or "womanizer"; he was officially married twice but carried on numerous affairs, including many one-night stands.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=60}}{{sfn|Quirk|1993|p=231}} Popular with women and often recognized as a [[sex symbol]] in Cuba,{{sfn|Bourne|1986|p=201}} Castro never had difficulty in finding love and seduction. Sánchez denies that Castro ever engaged in any unusual or un-consensual behavior.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=60}} Castro was also described as a poor father; often absent from their lives, he had little interest in his children's activities and was more interested in his work.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=63}} Raúl, who had much stronger paternal feelings towards his family, was often the one who played the role of surrogate father to Castro's children, in particular Fidelito and Alina.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=194}}
* Castro's first wife was [[Mirta Díaz-Balart]], whom he married in October 1948. She is the only spouse of Castro acknowledged by the Cuban Government. Diaz-Balart, the daughter of a [[Rafael José Díaz-Balart|powerful Cuban politician]] and sister of Batista's [[Rafael Díaz-Balart|Undersecretary of Interior]], was a student at the [[University of Havana]], where she met and married Castro. She divorced him later, in 1955, while he was in prison due to the attacks on the Moncada Barracks. They had one son:
**[[Fidel Castro Díaz-Balart|Fidel Ángel "Fidelito" Castro Díaz-Balart]], born in September 1949.{{sfn|Bardach|2007|p=67}} Fidelito grew up at various times between Havana and Miami; he later went to the Soviet Union to study [[nuclear physics]]. For a time, he ran Cuba's atomic-energy commission before being removed from the post by his father.<ref name="anderson">{{cite news |last=Anderson |first=Jon Lee |title=Castro's Last Battle: Can the revolution outlive its leader? |magazine=The New Yorker |date=31 July 2006 |page=51 |url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/07/31/castros-last-battle |access-date=26 February 2015 |archive-date=26 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226221245/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/07/31/castros-last-battle |url-status=live }}</ref> He took his own life in February 2018, over a year after his father's death.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-42913492|title=Fidel Castro's son 'takes own life'|date=2 February 2018|access-date=4 March 2019|work=BBC News|archive-date=6 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406082830/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-42913492|url-status=live}}</ref>
* During his first marriage, Castro briefly encountered Maria Laborde, an admirer from Camagüey, of whom very little is known and who has long been deceased. They had one son:
**Jorge Ángel Castro, born on 23 March 1949. It was long believed that his birth was in 1956, but Sánchez and another defector uncovered that he was in fact born earlier than Fidelito. This was also confirmed by [[Alina Fernández]], who claimed that Fidelito told her that Jorge Angel was the "around the same age as him".{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=68}}<ref name="Hart">{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/6235286/Fidel-Castros-Cuba-full-of-his-offspring-after-years-of-womanising-by-El-Commandante.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/6235286/Fidel-Castros-Cuba-full-of-his-offspring-after-years-of-womanising-by-El-Commandante.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Fidel Castro's Cuba full of his offspring after years of womanising by El Commandante|last=Hart|first=Philip|journal=The Daily Telegraph|date=26 September 2009|access-date=26 November 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://elpais.com/politica/2018/02/02/sepa_usted/1517584659_839094.html|title=Las dispares vidas de los otros hijos de Fidel Castro|last=Palomo|first=Elvira|date=2 February 2018|work=El País|access-date=26 November 2019|language=es|issn=1134-6582|archive-date=22 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822161019/https://elpais.com/politica/2018/02/02/sepa_usted/1517584659_839094.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
*While Castro was married to Mirta, he had an affair with [[Natalia Revuelta Clews|Natalia "Naty" Revuelta Clews]]. Widely regarded in Havana for her beauty, Natalia was married to Dr. Orlando Fernandez but sympathized with the aims of the Revolutionary movement. She initially joined the movement as a friend of Castro but later became his mistress and visited him while imprisoned in Isla de Pinos.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=69}} She would give birth to his daughter: 
**[[Alina Fernández|Alina Fernández Revuelta]],<ref name="anderson"/> born in 1956, is Castro's only daughter. She did not know her true parentage until she was 10. Castro showed little interest in her but sent her to a boarding school in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. One of the few people willing to stand up to Castro, several defectors have described her personality as the most similar to her father. Alina became a public relations director for a State-owned fashion company and a model for [[Havana Club]]. Her father inadvertently found out about the latter job while reading ''Cuba'' magazine, coming across an advertisement showing Alina posing in a bikini on a boat with two other models; according to Sánchez he "nearly exploded with rage".{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=70}} Alina left Cuba in 1993, disguised as a Spanish tourist,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=2ef037b4-5f82-4283-b1fb-2cc9e2442977 |title=Cuba's first family not immune to political rift |access-date=10 August 2006 |last=Boadle |first=Anthony |date=8 August 2006 |agency=[[Reuters]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011191626/http://canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=2ef037b4-5f82-4283-b1fb-2cc9e2442977 |archive-date=11 October 2007 }}</ref> and sought asylum in the US, from where she has criticized her father's policies.{{sfn|Fernández|1997|}}
*Castro's second and longest marriage was with Dalia Soto Del Valle, another admirer who met Castro during a speech in Villa Clara in 1961. She was a teacher who was part of the Government's literacy campaign. She moved to Havana on Castro's initiative and later moved in with him at ''Punto Cero'' as his permanent family. Her relationship with Castro was kept secret until 2006 when she was photographed with an increasingly frail Castro during the Party Congress, although the Cuban Government has released no other information.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=73}} Castro and Dalia had five sons, each of them starting with the letter A and three of them a variation of "Alexander" (in homage to Alexander the Great, his pseudonym while a guerrilla fighter):{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=74}}
**Alexis Castro Del Valle, born in 1962. Described as a loner with few friends, he eventually got a degree in computer science but has since become a mechanic.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=75}}
**Alex Castro Del Valle, born in 1963. Much more affable and outgoing, he was initially trained as an engineer as well but instead became a photographer and cameraman for ''[[Granma (newspaper)|Granma]]'' and [[Cubavisión]], respectively. He later became the official photographer of his father and, published several books, and hosted the exhibition ''Fidel Castro: Photografia Intimidade''.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=76}} 
**Alejandro Castro Del Valle, born in 1969. Considered a "computer geek" like his brothers, he also studied computer science and engineering but was passionate about the subject. Around 1990, he wrote software that allowed Russian programs to be run on Japanese ones; the product was purchased by [[NEC]] of Japan, which raised his national profile in the engineering community of Cuba and even public praise from his father.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=76}}
**Antonio Castro Del Valle, born in 1971. A national youth baseball champion, he studied sports medicine at the University of Havana and became an [[Orthopedic surgeon]]. He is currently the head of the Surgery unit at the Elite Frank Pais Orthopedic Hospital, a Doctor to the National Baseball team, and President of the Cuban Baseball Federation.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=78}}
**Angelito Castro Del Valle, born in 1974. Considered spoiled by his parents from a young age, he was long considered the "trouble child" of the family. He was passionate about cars and frequently earned the ire of his father's escort unit for disrupting the mechanics' work. Angelito never obtained any higher education but later became the senior executive of the Mercedes-Benz concession of Cuba.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=79}} 
*After the 1970s, Castro began a long relationship with Juanita Vera, a Colonel in the foreign intelligence service who joined his escort unit as his English interpreter. She often appeared in public with Castro, in particular in Oliver Stone's ''[[Comandante (2003 film)|Comandante]]'' as his translator and interpreter. She and Castro had one son, Abel Castro Vera, born in 1983.{{sfn|Sánchez|2015|p=269}}

Castro had another daughter, Francisca Pupo (born 1953), the result of a one-night affair. Pupo and her husband now live in Miami.<ref name="canf.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.canf.org/es/ENSAYOS/2003-dic-09-vida_secreta_del_tirano_castro.htm|last=Duarte|first=Roberto|title=Vida Secreta Del Tirano Castro
|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061210012059/http://www.canf.org/es/ENSAYOS/2003-dic-09-vida_secreta_del_tirano_castro.htm|archive-date=10 December 2006|access-date=16 August 2017}} ''CANF.org''. Cuban American National Foundation. 29 October 2003</ref> Another son known as Ciro was also born in the early 1960s, the result of another brief fling, his existence confirmed by Celia Sánchez.<ref name="Hart"/>

[[File:Family Tree of Fidel Castro.svg|center|thumb|upright=3|{{center|Castro's family tree}}]]