When I travel to Santiago de Cubа I always pass by Trinidad and Camaguey, I rarely stop to take a look at the latter, though. Once, however, I paid a visit to Camaguey and I was astonished to find out how beautiful this city is – a part of Oriente /East Cuba/ and the third biggest city in Cuba.
Speaking of legends here are some historical facts:
Founded in 1514 as a village by the name of Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe, Camaguey used to be situated on the seashore northward of its current location. The endless attacks from pirates, however, forced the locals to relocate the city to the interior of the country.
The architects constructed the city so that the invaders would easily lose their bearings. The streets of Camaguey are very curvy and cross one other very often. I myself got lost for a moment. The main street is very long and towards its end, you can catch the train since for some Cuban reason it stops just there…
The historical centre of Camaguey is the biggest in Cuba. If you have time in Camaguey you can visit the Ignacio Agramonte Museum /Museo Provincial Ignacio Agramonte/ named after one of Cuba’s national heroes who fought for Cuban independence from the Spanish colonization.
Another important spot in Camaguey is the central cathedral Our Lady of Solitude or Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Soledad. The locals are also very proud of the fact that every cathedral in the city has its own park the Casino Campestre Park being the biggest in Cuba.
The El Carmen Square is famous for its statues and several cozy cafes. Sitting in El Carmen observing the serene timelessness of the Cuban daily round is one pleasure!
Another recommendation is climbing up the tower of the Our Lady of Candelaria Cathedral /Cathedral de Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria/. You can also find the local market along the shores of the Hatibonico river towards the end of the historical centre.
In 2008 UNESCO ranked the historical centre of Camaguey world cultural heritage (Patrimonio de la Humanidad).
