Cuba - Lonely Planet [267]
In October 1959 Fidel sent Cienfuegos to Camagüey to arrest Huber Matos, a vacillating commander in the rebel army who objected to Castro’s increasingly leftist leanings. Though partly sympathetic to Matos’ cause, Camilo carried out his task as ordered before boarding a plane back to Havana. On the way home his Cessna aircraft mysteriously disappeared into thin air over the ocean. For more than a week all political activity was suspended as a frantic search was mounted for the missing comandante, but Cienfuegos’ body was never found. The national shock was palpable.
Before long a whole host of conspiracy theories arose relating to Camilo’s disappearance. Some allege that Fidel did away with Cienfuegos as the young comandante’s snowballing popularity was starting to threaten his own. Others suggest that the less conspicuous Raúl had him killed in a jealous rage. Both theories seem unlikely and were vigorously denied at the time by Che Guevara, one of Camilo’s closest confidantes.
Cubans today still reserve a tremendous affection for Cienfuegos – especially young people. Each October 28, on the anniversary of his death, every schoolchild in the country symbolically throws a flower into the sea to invoke his memory.
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LIBRARIES
Biblioteca Provincial Julio A Mella (Parque Ignacio Agramonte; Mon-Sat)
MEDIA
The local newspaper Adelante is published every Saturday. Radio Cadena Agramonte broadcasts in the city over frequencies 910AM and 93.5FM; it’s located south of the city by tuning to 1340AM, and to the north, by tuning your radio to 1380AM.
MEDICAL SERVICES
Farmacia Internacional (Av Agramonte No 449 btwn Independencia & República)
Policlínico Integral Rodolfo Ramirez Esquival ( 28-14-81; cnr Ignacio Sánchez & Joaquín de Agüero) North of the level crossing from the Hotel Plaza; it will treat foreigners in an emergency.
MONEY
Banco de Crédito y Comercio (cnr Av Agramonte & Cisneros)
Banco Financiero Internacional ( 29-48-46; Independencia btwn Hermanos Agüero & Martí)
Cadeca ( 29-52-20; República No 353 btwn Oscar Primelles & El Solitario; 8:30am-6pm Mon-Sat, 8:30am-1pm Sun)
POST
Post office (Av Agramonte No 461 btwn Independencia & Cisneros; 8am-6pm)
TRAVEL AGENCIES
Cubanacán ( 29-73-74; Hotel Plaza, Van Horne No 1) The best place for information on Playa Santa Lucia (Cubanacán runs all the hotels at the resort).
Cubatur ( 25-47-85; Av Agramonte No 421 btwn República & Independencia)
Dangers & Annoyances
Camagüey invites more hassle than other cities. Thefts have been reported in its narrow, winding streets, mainly from bag-snatchers who then jump onto the back of a waiting bicycle for a quick getaway. Keep your money belt tied firmly around your waist and don’t invite attention.
Sights & Activities
Named – like half the city – after the exalted local War of Independence hero, the Museo Provincial Ignacio Agramonte ( 28-24-25; Av de los Mártires No 2; admission CUC$2; 10am-6pm Tue-Thu & Sat, 2:30-10pm Fri, 9am-1pm Sun), just north of the train station, is housed in a building first erected in 1848 as a Spanish cavalry barracks. In 1902 the structure became a hotel and in 1948 it changed to its present function. Large and full of minuscule detail, the museum, like many in Cuba, has plenty of interesting artifacts but no thematic glue. Consequently, you’ll find yourself wandering listlessly through a hazy mishmash of local history, natural history, fine arts, antique furniture, family heirlooms; the list goes on. All very interesting, but…
Wide-open Plaza San Juan de Dios (cnr Hurtado & Paco Recio) is Camagüey’s most picturesque corner and the only town plaza to retain its original layout and buildings. Its eastern aspect is dominated by the Museo de San Juan de Dios (admission CUC$1; 9am-5pm Tue-Sat, to 1pm Sun), housed in what was once a hospital administered by Father José Olallo, a Cuban friar who became Cuba’s first saint when he was beatified at a ceremony attended by Raúl Castro in Camagüey in November 2008. The hospital has