Cuba - Lonely Planet [179]
One of Matanzas’ earliest cabildos was the Lucumí-led Santa Barbara brotherhood, established in 1827 by a freed slave named Remigio Herrera. A Yoruba priest from the Óyo tribe who had been transported from Africa in the early 1820s, Herrera’s freedom was bought by his Óyo-Cuban ‘brothers’ soon after he arrived in Cuba allowing him to establish a powerful and influential priesthood.
When slavery was abolished in 1886, cabildos were gradually suppressed and required to officially register with the Catholic Church. But many shirked the draconian new rules and continued to operate beneath the radar.
Pursuing a more secretive existence, associations began to re-evaluate their unique African culture and add new ingredients to a traditional ancestral base.
Examples of this synthesis can be seen in the sacred rites of Regla de Ocha (Santería), a hybrid Catholic-Yoruba religion that grew out of the Lucumí cabildos in Versalles, or the dynamic new musical forms forged in the working-class dock districts of Matanzas and Havana, popularly known as rumba.
A number of cabildos are still active in Matanzas today. The Iyesá Cabildo of San Juan de Bautista, a branch of Lucumí dating from 1854, is known for its distinctive ritualistic drumming. The Cabildo Arará Sabalú Nonjó, founded in 1880, is a small Arará offshoot that traces its roots back to slaves transported from the Dahomean city of Savalu. The Cabildo Santa Teresa Lucumí is an arm of the influential Villamil family whose members have gone on to play in numerous musical groups including the legendary Muñequitos de Matanzas.
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Wilting from the outside, the Teatro Sauto (Map; 24-27-21), back on the plaza’s south side is, nonetheless, one of Cuba’s finest theaters (1863) and famous for its superb acoustics. The lobby is graced by marble Greek goddesses and the main hall ceiling bears paintings of the muses. Three balconies enclose this 775-seat theater, which features a floor that can be raised to convert the auditorium into a ballroom. A work of art, the original theater curtain is a painting of the Puente de la Concordia over the Río Yumurí. Enrico Caruso performed here, as did the Soviet dancer Anna Pavlova in 1945. Your best chance of catching a performance is on Friday, Saturday or Sunday nights.
Other impressive buildings on Plaza de Vigía include the imposing Palacio de Justicia (Map) opposite the Teatro Sauto, first erected in 1826 and rebuilt between 1908 and 1911, and the double-arcaded Museo Histórico Provincial (Map; cnr Calles 83 & 272; admission CUC$2; 10am-noon & 1-5pm Tue-Sun), aka Palacio del Junco (1840), which showcases the full sweep of Matanzas’ history from 1693 to the present.
A few blocks west is Parque Libertad (Map), Matanzas’ modern nexus with a bronze statue (1909) of José Martí in its center. Head to the south side for beer with the locals in Café Libertad, opposite the now closed Hotel Louvre (1894), before visiting the city’s showcase sight, the Museo Farmacéutico (Map; 25-31-79; Calle 83 No 4951; admission CUC$3; 10am-5pm Mon-Sun). Founded in 1882 by the Triolett family, this antique pharmacy was the first of its type in Latin America and continued to function until 1964 when it became a museum. The fine displays include all the odd bottles, instruments, porcelain jars and medical recipes used in the trade.
The eastern side of the rather dilapidated park is dominated by the muscular Palacio de Gobierno (Map) dating from 1853, now the seat of the Poder Popular (Popular Power). On the northern side are the defunct Hotel Velazco and the former Casino Español (cnr Calles 79 & 290), where the first performance of the danzonete (ballroom dance) Rompiendo La Rutina, by Anceto Díaz, took place. It’s now the Biblioteca Gener y Del Monte (Map).
Nearby is the city’s Archivo Histórico (Map; 24-42-12; Calle 83 No 28013 btwn