 The
city of Camagüey was one of the seven
first villas founded by Diego Velázquez
at the end of the month of June or beginning
of July of 1515. This city was given the
name of San María de Puerto Príncipe,
in the place where the city of Nuevitas
is located.
The urban scheme of the
city is characterized by the sinuous design
and intricate trace of its irregular and
stone paved streets, and by a considerable
quantity of plazas (squares) and plazuelas
(smaller squares) that remind us of medieval
cities that seem to have been built in this
way in order to be defended from the pirates
attacks. Among its plazas, la Plaza de Armas,
la del Carmen and la de San Juan de Dios
can be pointed out.
El tinajón (large
earthenware jar), used under the spurt of
the canals that collected the rain water
from the roofs, became an indispensable
element in each Camagüeyano patio.
These huge tinajas de agua (water holders)
were used in order to keep water which was
very scarce in the region, and due to them
Camagüey is known as “la ciudad
de los tinajones”.
Nowadays, los tinajones
are a component of the personality of the
city.
The city keeps a certain
number of religious buildings, many of them
centered in the historical area of the city,
which due to its importance was declared
National Monument in 1978. Among the religious
buildings, the oldest are la Soledad Church
and la Merced Church. Besides them, other
important constructions of the city can
also be added: Ignacio Agramonte´s
birthplace, the History Museum, the Students
Movement Museum, the Principal Museum, among
others.
Within the history of
the province, there are data of great interest.
From a cultural point of view, Camagüey
has the privilege of having the first literary
piece of work written in Cuba known up to
the present moment, as well as outstanding
figures in the different spheres of art,
culture and science.
In the north coast of
Camagüey there is one of the largest
beaches of Cuba, Santa Lucía, being
23 km long. It forms a kind of lengüeta
(tongue) of white and fine sand going from
east to west, and separated from the mainland
by an extense forest and a lagoon inhabited
by thousands of pink flamingos. The beach
is continuous and open, without rocks or
steep banks, but it is protected by an extense
coral reef near the beach that offers exceptional
spots for scuba diving practice. In this
coral reef there are abundant corals, gorgonians
having big size, sponges of varied colors
and mogotes separated by deep cracks, valleys,
tunnels, abrupt walls with variety of fish
and other attractions.
Another natural wonder
of Camagüey is Sabinal Cay, one of
the most beautiful of the area. It is 335
km long, it has approximately 26 km of good
beach, known by the name of Los Pinos (The
Pines). The vegetation in this cay is medium
and very varied, and its fauna is rich in
species, such as, deer, jutías (rodents
from the West Indies), flamingos, cattle
and a wide variety of birds.
This cay may be visited
by tourists from Santa Lucía Beach,
in excursions that combine yachting, scuba
diving and fishing, together with the enjoy
of the beach; always keeping in mind that,
in general, this cay is virgen, with an
exotic nature, in a natural reservation
area and of conservation of species. |
