Art, dance and medicine seem to be the main themes in Camaguay. The latter probably because it is the home of Dr. Carlos Finlay, who was largely responsible for discovering the causes of yellow fever.
Our first stop was the Museo de San Juan de Dios...
which was once a hospital administered by Father Jose' Olallo (who became Cuba's first saint). It had some antique medical equipment, including ominous body-probing things.
We also visited the Iglesia de Nuestra Senora del Carmen...
where I couldn't resist having D pose for the corny talking-with-the-clay-ladies shot.
We were informed that the statues were done by Martha Jimenez Perez, one of Cuba's greatest living artists. Our host, Orlando, said he (math teacher) and his wife, Elba, (literature teacher) were her colleagues at a collegio next to the Iglesia (used to be a convent). We visited her gallery nearby, where some very interesting works of hers were on display - no photos, alas. I did get a shot of a little corner of her patio, with a couple of pieces, in it.
Most of the inhabitants in the area historically have been African, living in little houses with steps, and one such couple was seemingly posing on theirs.
Quite a surprise to discover that they were Jehovah's Witnesses, with a good command of English, waiting to proselytize passers by. Took some effort to politely extract ourselves.
Camaguay is know for its plazas...
and labyrinth of streets, said to be designed to confound filibustering pirates. Tough to show that in pics or videos, but...
Camaguey 1
It makes for interesting wandering, with occasional fruit vendors...
Camaguey 2
unexpected murals...
and folks on their way...
or chatting...
or just sitting on their stoops.
Most would warmly return a greeting.
We had to visit the Casa Natal de Ignacio Agramonte which is now a museum. He is the most prominent local hero, for his exploits in the First War for Independence in the mid-1800s. Locals who resist oppression are called "agramontinos" in his honor.
Our final stop was another museum, named, guess what, Museo Provincial Ignacio Agramonte. A former army barracks, it had a huge interior patio...
with several of the large clay pots that formerly were used for water to combat Camaguay's frequent droughts. It also had a very thorough history display of the area, another substantial antique medical equipment display, and some family heirloom furniture. We were impressed with this china cabinet, but wondered how they got the dishes down - it was at least twelve feet tall.
The city also has some grand old hotels, including the Hotel Colon (Columbus, actually, not the body part, although D did use the john there). A clerk said it was 127 years old, (the hotel, not the john, presumably).
One interesting Camaguay fact, I saw nothing named after modern revolutionary heroes, like Che, and little representation of them (except for a few t-shirts). In fact, Camaguay has historically been fiercely Catholic, and has a history of going its own way, to the point that a local militia leader was imprisoned in 1959 for declaring that Fidel was burying the revolution.
An evening walk to a restaurant produced some more labyrinth photo-ops.
And D liked this view of the Parque Ignacio Adamante (what else?) near our CP.
That's the Casa de Trova at the end of the block.
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Location:Camaguay
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