RH control in pre-A/C times

[Enduin]

The RH poll from the Pres the other day made me want to post a question that I've been wondering about for quite some time: how did the Cubans control the RH of their cigars in the early 1900s when there was no air conditioning to remove moisture from the air and lower the temperatures?

It's my understanding that the weather in Cuba is characterized by a wet hot season and a cooler dry season, quite similar to the weather we have in FL so it's something I'm very familiar with. For the cool dry season the solution was obviously to use water based humidifiers, but what about the hot wet season? Not only without A/C the temperatures would be quite high for cigars (according to the current wisdom) being in the 90s most days, but the humidity would be extremely high, being in 70-80% range most of the day and 100% at night. And there is NO WAY anybody could sleep at night without A/C and the windows closed during the summer.

Without A/C or dehumidifiers to remove moisture, how were the Cubans preventing their cigars from swelling up and cracking under the extreme humidity? The only thing I could think of would be to completely seal the boxes before the beginning of the summer, but that doesn't seem feasible. Were they constructing the cigars differently to withstand more RH fluctuations? Did they have some kind of ancient wisdom sort of trick?

I know there are a lot of people here with extensive knowledge about cigar history in general and Cuba in particular so I'd love to hear your opinions!