Did you know that guava trees have played a massive role in shaping the history of Coral Gables? The tree has existed for hundreds of years and has been known to exist as far back as the 1500’s. It is theorized that they originated in Central America. The guava tree was brought to South Florida from Cuba more than 160 years ago by Col. H.V. Snell. Eventually, guava made it’s way to the greater Miami area and thrived, due to the regions unique sub-tropic environment. The fruit proved to be one of the area’s most lucrative cash crops and was grown by many of the homesteaders who settled the land in the late 1800’s. One of Miami’s early settlers who benefited from the growth of guava was Solomon Merrick, father of Coral Gables creator George Merrick. Their farm, the Coral Gables Plantation, proved to be one of the largest providers of guava in the United States. Solomon’s guava groves were ground-zero for where the city of Coral Gables would eventually be built on. The city of Coral Gables would eventually be built on the same land where Solomon’s guava groves grew.

• By Malcolm Lauredo
• August 2018
• Volume One; Number One