Finding a set of twins in a dozen streets may not be a rare thing to do. But 12 sets of twins in one street is definitely rarest of the rare to happen. And that’s what precisely a street in the Cuban capital of Havana stands witness to.

From babies to seniors, two blocks of 68-A street house a dozen set of twins, and what’s quite unique about them is that none of the families enjoy any kind of relationship with each other. While 10 sets of twins appear identical, the remaining two are fraternal.

Although several reasons are attributed to so many twins finding their origin in this western Havana location, first-hand studies have revealed beyond doubt that no fertility drugs or any such treatment have caused such a situation.

Just a Coincidence?

While some feel that the water the residents use could have done the trick, there are others who believe that a sacred tree in the area might be working the reproductive wonders. There are other locals who opine that it’s nothing extraordinary, and something happening just by chance.

However, neighbors find it hard to resist their temptation to know what has been actually leading to this twinning! They keep wondering if these two consecutive blocks have any special significance that even scientists find it hard to ascertain.

That the neighborhood hosts one set of twins for every 20 births, which is in sharp contrast to the global statistics of one set of twins for every 80 people, has left many eyebrows raised not only in Cuba, but the world over.

The first of the 12 sets of twins are 65-year-old Fe Fernandez and her identical sister, Esperanza. While both of them share several features what differentiates the former from the latter is the color of hair; gray and black-dyed.

Nine-year-old Carla Rodriquez and Camila make another set of twins, who look cheerful and hold a broad smile on their faces. “We’re twins and we love living on this block because we have twin friends,” they say in a delightful tone.

Challenging Task

It seems Tamara Velazquez has a challenging task on hand to raise six-year-old twins Asley and Aslen. It was her maiden pregnancy, and she never expected what’s in store. Nevertheless, an ultrasound performed when she was five-month pregnant revealed that she was going to give birth to twins.

Interestingly, many Afro-Cubans owe to their origin to Western Africa which reports a very high rate of twin births. Also, occurrence of twin births has been on the rise in developed nations, mainly on account of fertility treatments.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of twin birth shot up significantly – by as high as 76 percent – from 1980 through 2009. One out of every 30 births in the U.S. was found to be a twin in 2009 against one out of every 53 babies born during 1980.

Fe Fernandez wants to emphasize that most locals are religious. They believe that the sacred Siguaraya tree has been blessings mothers with twin babies. But then, there are also people like Mercedes Montero, who gave birth to Xavier and Lorena together some 20 years before, who attribute the cause to the luck of the draw. Whatever be the reason, this special community has been gaining global attention.