Mirta Díaz-Balart y Gutiérrez

Mirta Francisca de la Caridad Díaz-Balart y Gutiérrez (born September 30, 1928) was Fidel Castro's first wife, the daughter of Rafael José Díaz-Balart, a prominent Cuban politician and mayor of the town of Banes, and wife América Gutiérrez. She was a fellow student at the University of Havana, studying philosophy, when Fidel married her.[1][2] Biography

They married on October 11, 1948, honeymooned in Miami,[3] and divorced seven years later (while Castro was in exile) in 1955.[4] They had one child, a son, Fidel Ángel "Fidelito" Castro Díaz-Balart, born on September 1, 1949. After the divorce, Castro was not granted custody of their son; instead Castro kidnapped Fidel Jr. when his son visited Castro in Mexico prior to his return to Cuba. There is a documented story of the rescue of Mirta's son from the captors of Fidel Jr.

Mirta remarried to Dr. Emilio Núñez Blanco, the son of a former Cuban Ambassador to the UN, Emilio Núñez Portuondo. A story in the October 8, 2000,[5] edition of the Miami Herald claimed that she was then living in Spain and that occasional visits to Cuba had been arranged by Raúl Castro, her former brother-in-law.

Díaz-Balart lived in Spain with her family after 1959; Mirta was deprived for many years of the company of her son as he studied in Cuba and in the Soviet Union.[6]

Mirta Díaz-Balart is the aunt of anti-Castro Republican Party U.S. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (Florida's 25th congressional district) and his brother, former U.S. Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart and TV anchor Jose Diaz-Balart. She is the sister of the painter Waldo Diaz-Balart and the late Rafael Diaz-Balart. She has two daughters by her second husband, Mirta and América Silvia Núñez Díaz-Balart, both residing in Spain with their families. She has numerous grandchildren. References

   Guerrilla Prince: The Untold Story of Fidel Castro Georgie Anne Geyer - 2011 FIDEL'S COURTING of Mirta Díaz-Balart, the lovely green-eyed girl with the dark blond hair and the wistful smile, from one of Cuba's wealthiest families, marked the period in his life that was closest to ..."

   The Secret Fidel Castro: Deconstructing the Symbol - Page 227 Servando González - 2001 "For example, author Georgie Anne Geyer, who has been studying Castro for many years, noted that most women with whom Castro has been romantically involved, including his first wife Mirtha Díaz- Balart, 201 the daughter of a lawyer who ..."

   On Becoming Cuban: Identity, Nationality, and Culture - Page 434 Louis A. Pérez, Jr. "The twenty-two-year-old Fidel Castro and his bride Mirta Díaz Balart were among the many thousands of Cuban newlyweds to honeymoon in Miami. Cuban travel was both cause and effect of changes overtaking the Florida tourist industry. "

   Frank País: Architect of Cuba's Betrayed Revolution - Page 322 José Alvarez - 2009 "4 Fidel Castro and Mirta Díaz-Balart, members of families who were political enemies, married on October 10, 1948. They were divorced while Castro was in prison. At first, they alleged that Mirta was receiving a check from the ..."

   Fidel Castro's Family

   Ann Louise Bardach : Cuba Confidential. p.67. "One knowledgable source claims that Mirta returned to Cuba in early 2002 and is now living with Fidelito and his family".

Castro, Juanita; as told to Maria Antonieta Collins (2009). Fidel y Raul - Mis Hermanos, La Historia Secreta. Santillana USA Publishing Company, Inc. ISBN 978-1-60396-701-3.