"La Ciudad Confusa" The Maze

Because of it's difficult street alyout Camaguey is called "The Maze". You have to be a good navigator driving arround this city.

A characteristic feature of this city is the large number of squares and parks, including San Juan de Dios Square, built in the 18th cent., and Ignacio Agramonte Park, which used to be the parade grounds in colonial times. A sober colonial architecture and a traditional inclination for the arts have enriched the spiritual and cultural life of the people of Camagüey.

Large earthenware jars (Tinajón), used in the past and at present to store rainwater in the patios of many houses, are a distinguishing feature of the city.

The city of Camaguey, which was founded early in the 16th century, is one of the cradles of Cuban culture. The oldest part of the city is unique because of its narrow, twisting streets and alleys, which start or end in public squares and form a complicated labyrinth-that was deliberately designed this way to confuse pirates and other raiders in the past. Most of the buildings have cool, leafy inner patios which contain large earthenware jars- the symbol of the city.

Among other things, Camaguey contains the narrowest street in Cuba - Funda del Catre Alley, 7.2 feet (2.2 m) wide and 252.6 feet (77m) long. Other attractions include the Principal Theater (built in 1850); the Puerto Principe Cemetery (created in 1814 and the oldest of the cemeteries that are being used in Cuba); the Ignacio Agramonte Museum (history and decorative arts); the Amalia Simoni Manor (decorative arts and pieces of furniture that illustrate 19th century costumes)

Ignacio Agramonte Park (the former Arms Square, created in 1528); churches and public squares of great architectural and artistic value; Troubadours' House; art galleries; handicrafts exhibits; the house where Ignacio Agramonte, a general in Cuba's Wars of Independence against Spain in the 19th century, was born (it contains furniture and decorations dating from the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century; and the house where Nicolas Guillen, Cuba's National Poet, was born.

Antiguo Cuartel de Caballería del Ejército Español
Museo
Ave. de los Mártires #2
Camagüey

Ballet de Camagüey
Institución
Carretera Central #3331
Camagüey 

From Parque de los Trabajadores head for the Teatro Principal on Padre Valencia. the building itself is attractive and interesting enough with it's stained-glass windows and chandeliers in the foyer. It is also the home of the internationally renowned Camaguey ballet

Casa Natal Nicolás Guillén
Calle Hermanos Agüero 58 e/Cisneros and Príncipe
Camaguey
Tel: 32/29-3706

Camagüey's most important literary figure, considered Cuba's national poet, was born in this house, which stands as a simple tribute to his life and enduring work. Guillén, an Afro-Cuban born here in 1902, only lived in the house for 2 years, though he returned to Camagüey after studying law in Havana and worked as a journalist for a local paper. The house now functions primarily as a research and cultural center, with occasional poetry readings and concerts. A smattering of photographs, personal memorabilia, and copies of a handful of poems connect the house to the life and work of Guillén.

Casa Natal de Ignacio Agramonte
Museo
Ave. Ignacio Agramonte #459
Camagüey 

Opposite La Merced is the Casa Natal de Ignacio Agramonte, the birth-place and family of home of Camaguey's number-one hero, the 19th century revolutionary general, killed in action against the Spanish in 1873. The museum traces Agramonte's life, career, and campaigns and has exhibits such as his letters and guns. The story is told entirely in Spanish but even if you can't speak a word of Spanish and you're not remotely interested in Ignacio Agramonte (which, I imagine, would describe most of my readers) it's still worth paying to get in (and it costs less than £1 anyway) as the house has been restored to how it would have looked in the mid-19th century complete with authentic period furniture.

Las Clavelinas
Monument
Carretera Camino Las Clavelinas
Camagüey

Conjunto Monumentario Ignacio Agramonte
Sitio de interés
Plaza de la Revolución
Camagüey

Hospital y Plaza San Juan de Dios
Monument

Take the road at the southwest corner of Parque Agramonte (Cisneros, by the Cathedral's tower); keep going until you see either Angel or Pacio Recio on your right, take one of these and then at the next corner go left on Doctor Emilio Gonzales, which goes to Hurtado and this will lead you to probably the highlight of Camaguey, the Plaza San Juan de Dios, now a National Monument. Either that or you could follow the signs that they've put up since my last visit. Alternatively you'll now realise that you're hopelessly lost and have to ask someone for directions.

Either way, with luck you'll end up at the Plaza San Juan de Dios and you can stand there for a minute or so and think how worthwhile it was coming down here. This is an 18th century square which has been completely restored, as have all the colonial-era buildings than surround it. The fact that all the buildings have been paint-washed in different colours only makes it even more photogenic

Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de La Merced
The most significant structure on the rather plain Plaza de los Trabajadores is this massive 18th-century brick church, Camagüey's most distinguished and in its day the largest in Cuba. A chapel existed on this spot in 1601; the present structure dates to 1748 (it was reconstructed in 1848 and again in 1909 after a fire). To one side of a lush cloister is the old convent, which still houses a rapidly decreasing number of nuns. The church is an eclectic architectural mix. Adorning the ceiling are surprising Art Nouveau murals, added in the 20th century. Also of note are the painted wood, neo-Gothic altar and the Santo Sepulcro, a 1762 casket elaborately fashioned from 25,000 silver coins and carried high by eight men during Easter processionals. Down narrow stairs behind the principal altar is a mysterious crypt, the remains of an extensive underground cemetery. Most of it was closed off after fire damage, but six macabre tombs with skeletons remain and are on creepy view alongside a small museum of 18th- and 19th-century objects uncovered at the church.

Museo de la Lucha Estudiantil
República #69
Camagüey 

Museo Provincial Ignacio Agramonte
Ave. de los Mártires #2 e/Ignacio Sánchez and Rotario
Camagüey 
Tel: 32/28-2425

Housed in a striking building that was once a Spanish cavalry barracks. The museum was closed for renovations on both my previous visits to Camaguey but apparently it contains exhibits on local history, flora and fauna (looking through the window I could see a few display cases of stuffed animals). Don't expect any information in English either. This may be the sort of museum where it's worth going in just to get a better look around the building.

Plaza San Juan de Dios
Plaza San Juan de Dios
Camaguey
Tel: 32/29-1318

A National Monument and one of the most remarkable colonial relics in Cuba, this elegant and serene square looks like a meticulously designed movie set. Its charms are subtle but undeniable. The colonial arches, cobblestones, and houses with red-tile roofs and window grilles speak volumes about Camagüey's colonial past. The square, whose present design dates to 1732, holds great significance for Cubans: The body of the national independence war hero Ignacio Agramonte was brought here, after being burned by the Spaniards, for identification in 1873.

Plaza del Carmen
Plaza del Carmen
Tel: 32/29-6901

A narrow pedestrian-only street of pastel-colored colonial row houses opens on to an irregularly shaped square. Renovations have revamped the 18th-century square with street lamps, huge tinajeros, and slightly larger-than-life sculptures of locals in various poses of daily work and pleasure. The restored spot has done much to uncover a classic Camagüey colonial plaza.

Not long ago, the church and convent at the end of the open square stood roofless, in utter ruins. The baroque-style Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen, which dates to 1825, is now immaculately restored. It is the only church in Camagüey, and indeed in the whole eastern half of Cuba, topped by two towers. The early-19th-century Monasterio de las Ursalinas (Ursuline Convent) next door is now an architectural showpiece distinguished by handsome arches framing the expansive patio. Built in 1829, the convent later became a refuge for hurricane victims and a school for the poor after the sisters transferred their headquarters to Havana. In the years subsequent to the Revolution, it served several purposes; most recently it was a nondescript warehouse. The building was taken over in 1999 by the City Historian's office, and today the convent is an eye-pleasing beauty, well worth a peek inside

Quinta Amalia Simoni
Museo
General Gómez No. 608

Santa Iglesia Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria
Cisneros #168
Camagüey 

Head South down Republica past the railway tracks and you come to one of Camaguey's churches the 18th century Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Soledad. From the outside it's huge but it's run-down, peeling appearance may put you off, as might the fact that it's often closed (although since the Pope's visit to Camaguey most of the churches are open more than they used to be). The interior though makes it well worth the trouble of trying to get in, with a large collection of statues and idols and some great if not particularly religious floral murals. Like many of Camaguey's churches it's usually a lot cooler inside than out

Villa de Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe
Centro Histórico Urbano
Camagüey

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