Cuba - Lonely Planet [268]
Also in Plaza San Juan de Dios is the Estudio-Galería Jover (Paco Recio; 9am-noon & 3-5pm Mon-Sat), the working studio of Joel Jover. Joel, along with his wife Ileana Sánchez, are Camagüey’s most accomplished contemporary artists with a whole gallery’s worth of probing, inspirational exhibits. You can see plenty more at their magnificent home, Casa de Arte Jover ( 29-23-05; Martí No 154 btwn Independencia & Cisneros), in Plaza Agramonte.
Plaza del Carmen (Hermanos Agüero btwn Honda & Carmen), 600m west of the frenzy of Av República, is Camagüey’s prettiest (and least visited) square. Little more than 10 years ago this whole place was a ruin, but local foresight and some canny restoration work has restored it to a state better than the original. The eastern half of the square is dominated by the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Carmen (see boxed text,>) but, juxtaposing new against old, the cobbled central space has been infused with giant tinajones, atmospheric street lamps and unique life-sized sculptures of Camagüeyanos going about their daily business.
Just north of the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad is the quaint Callejón de la Soledad, a quintessential Camagüey alley with an outdoor cafe and live music most nights.
If you visit just one market in Cuba, make sure it’s the Mercado Agropecuario El Río. Glued (by mud) beside the murky Río Hatibonico and characterized by its pregones (singsong, often comic, offering of wares) ringing through the stalls, this open-air piece of Camagüeyan theater is a classic example of Cuban-style free enterprise at work. Check out the herberos (purveyors of herbs, potions and secret elixirs), huge avocados (in season) and bundles of garlic, and sample one of the delicious batidos (fruitshakes) served with crushed ice in recycled jam jars. Be sure to keep a tight hold on your money belt.
The dazzling Parque Ignacio Agramonte (cnr Martí & Independencia) in the heart of the city lures visitors with rings of marble benches and an equestrian statue (from 1950) of Camagüey’s precocious War of Independence hero.
* * *
CATHOLIC SOUL
If Cuba has a Catholic soul, it undoubtedly resides in Camagüey; a city of baroque churches and gilded altars, where haunting ecclesial spires rise like minarets above the narrow, labyrinthine streets.
Any exploration of Camagüey’s religious history should begin at its most important church, the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria (Cisneros No 168), rebuilt in the 19th century on the site of an earlier chapel dating from 1530. The cathedral, which is named for the city’s patron saint, was fully restored with funds raised from the 1998 visit of Pope John Paul II and, while not Camagüey’s most eye-catching church, it is noted for its noble Christ statue that sits atop a craning bell tower.
The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Merced (Plaza de los Trabajadores), dating from 1748, is, arguably, Camagüey’s most impressive colonial church with a history imbued with legend. Local myth tells of a miraculous figure that floated from the watery depths here in 1601 and it has been a spot of worship ever since. The active convent in the attached cloister is distinguished by its two-level arched interior, spooky catacombs (where church faithful were buried until 1814) and the dazzling Santo Sepulcro, a solid-silver coffin.
Gleaming after a much-lauded 2007 renovation, the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad (cnr República & Av Agramonte) is a massive brick structure dating from 1779. Its picturesque cream-and-terra-cotta tower actually predates the rest of the structure and is an eye-catching landmark on the city skyline. Inside there are ornate