I return to Cuba in December, so I'm posting this again to help finding out about my family members in Cuba. A description of what I know is below.
My father and grandfather were born in Key West, but raised and educated mostly in La Habana. My mother, Dolores Granda, is from Guines. By the time I was born in Miami in 1941, my parents and grandfather were living in Florida. My grandfather worked for another 20 years all over So America for Pan American, although in the 1950s he often visited and did business in Cuba. I don't know where in Cuba other family members lived. Family visits to Cuba as I was growing up, which were frequent until 1959, were always with my mother's family in La Habana. My father, grandfather, and I are all named Armando Mato Menocal. I grew up being told that my great-grandfather's or his father was a cousin of the former president, Mario Garcia Menocal, but I wonder if that's just a family legend. I can't remember as a boy ever meeting any Menocal family in Cuba. I do know that my father was not in contact with any Menocal family in Cuba. My mother, who still lives in Miami, has not been able to tell me anything more.

I am not sure if this helps you, but the president's last name is Garcia-Menocal it is a joint last name, his direct decendants until this day still have the last name jointed, however, it is likely that at some point the Garcia last name was dropped. So I would recommend looking back in your family tree to see both last names together. There is a second line of Menocal's where the last name is present by itself, that line originates from the slaves and other servitude of the Menocal family.

Adriana,
Thanks. You are probably correct. Since my grandfather, Armando Mato Menocal, was born in Key West about 1890, his branch of the family had probably moved from Cuba long ago. I did find with a little research that a Mario Mato G. Menocal was born in Key West in 1895. Is the G. for Garcia, and it is just coincidence or another relative still using Garcia-Menocal?
And what about the painter, Armando Menocal, is he too a distance relative of President Garcia-Menocal, whose family dropped the Garcia?
Thank you again for the assistance.
Armando

Honestly I do not know what to say, there is no possible way for me to know whether his G stood for Garcia, however, it is highly likely, since it would not make sense to have Mato as a last name, then a middle name and then your second last name. Yet it is hard to know unless you can find out who his mother was. Now as for Armando Menocal the painter, I have heard that he is related to Garcia-Menocal, the president. I will tell you the same thing that I told someone else; it is my understanding that a family tree of Garcia- Menocal was kept at "La moderna poesia" in miami. As for the Key west relationship, keep in mind that Cuba always had very close ties to the US, specially at that point in time, even the president Garcia-Menocal lived in the US for a while.

In my branch of the family the Garcia-Menocal was dropped after my grandfather's generation. It goes like this
father: Manuel Menocal
grandfather: Armando Garcia Menocal
great-grandfather: Alfredo Garcia Menocal

Alfredo Garcia Menocal was the son of Mario Garcia Menocal's brother. So in a nutshell my great-grandfather was Garcia-Menocal's nephew.

I still have some older relatives who have the Garcia-Menocal as their last name, however, many of their kids born in the US only have the Menocal.

Armando:

Quisiera preguntarle, sabra usted quienes fueron los padres de Armando MATO y MENOCAL ?

El era hijo de Pedro Pablo MATO y María Dolores GARCIA-MENOCAL ?

Gracias.
AM

In your message you state that Alfredo Garcia Menocal was the son of Mario Garcia Menocal 's brother. Which brother
Fausto the younger one did not have a son named Alfredo
Neither Tomas, Pablo, Gabriel, Mario (the president). Gustavo, or Serafin Garcia Menocal y Deop, the other four died very young. Are you refering to the other Mario's in the family?, I am interested in knowing so I could place him in the correct family line