Camagüey
Encyclopedia
Camagüey is a city and municipality in central Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and is the nation's third largest city. It is the capital of the Camagüey Province
Camagüey Province
Camagüey is the largest of the provinces of Cuba. Its capital is Camagüey. Other towns include Florida and Nuevitas.-Geography:Camagüey is mostly low lying, with no major hills or mountain ranges passing through the province...
.
After almost continuous attacks from pirates the original city (founded as Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe around 1515 on the northern coast) was moved inland in 1528.
The new city was built with a confusing lay-out of winding alleys that made it easier to defend it from any raiders. There are many blind alleys and forked streets that lead to squares of different sizes. There is only one exit from the city; should pirates ever return and succeed in entering the city, the hope was that the local inhabitants would be able to entrap and kill them.
In July 2008, the old town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.
Culture
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
pot or tinajón, used to capture rain
Rain
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...
water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
to be used later, keeping it fresh. Clay pots are everywhere, some as small as a hand
Hand
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered extremity located at the end of an arm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs...
, some large enough for two people to stand up in, either as monument
Monument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
s or for real use. Local legend has it that if you drink water from a girl's personal tinajón, you will fall in love with the girl and never leave her.
The main secondary education institutions are the University of Camagüey
University of Camagüey
The University of Camagüey is a university located in Camagüey, Cuba. It was founded in 1967 and is organized in 8 Faculties.-Organization:These are the 8 faculties in which the university is divided into:* Faculty of Agriculture...
& the Instituto Pedagógico de Camagüey.
Demographics
Notable residents
Camagüey is the birthplace of Ignacio AgramonteIgnacio Agramonte
Ignacio Agramonte y Loynáz was a Cuban revolutionary, who played an important part in the Ten Years' War .Born in the province of Puerto Príncipe on December 23, 1841, to a wealthy family. He went to Barcelona, Madrid, and Havana to study law...
(1841), an important figure of the Ten Years' War
Ten Years' War
The Ten Years' War , also known as the Great War and the War of '68, began on October 10, 1868 when sugar mill owner Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and his followers proclaimed Cuba's independence from Spain...
against Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1868–1878. Agramonte drafted the first Cuban Constitution
Constitution of Cuba
Since attaining its independence from Spain, Cuba has had five constitutions. The current constitution was drafted in 1976 and has since been amended.-1901 Constitution:The 1901 Constitution was Cuba's first as an independent state...
in 1869, and later, as a Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
, formed the fearsome Camagüey cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
corps that had the Spaniards on the run. He died in combat on May 11, 1873; his body was burned in the city because the Spanish feared the rebels would attack the city to recover his body.
The outline of Ignacio Agramonte
Ignacio Agramonte
Ignacio Agramonte y Loynáz was a Cuban revolutionary, who played an important part in the Ten Years' War .Born in the province of Puerto Príncipe on December 23, 1841, to a wealthy family. He went to Barcelona, Madrid, and Havana to study law...
's horseback statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
in the Park that bears his name is a symbol of Camagüey. It was set there in 1911, uncovered by his widow, Amalia Simoni.
The Plaza of the Revolution features a bronze Agramonte standing followed by his troops.
The city is also the birthplace of the Cuban national poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
Nicolás Guillén
Nicolás Guillén
Nicolás Cristóbal Guillén Batista was a Cuban poet, journalist, political activist, and writer. He is best remembered as the national poet of Cuba.Guillén was born in Camagüey, Cuba...
.
Camagüey is also the hometown of volleyball player Mireya Luis
Mireya Luis
Alejandrina Mireya Luis Hernández, often referred to as Mireya is a retired Cuban volleyball player....
,
Gertrudis Gomes de Avellanada (poet)
Carlos J. Finlay (doctor and scientist), Silvestre de Balboa (1563–1649),
Salvador Cisneros Betancourt, Marquez de Santa Lucia. Studied in Philadelphia, where became an Engineer; served as Mayor of Camaguey. Organizer of the Masonic Lodge "Tinima", and a signatory of the Guaimaro Constitution of 1869 and Jimaguayu of 1895. The park Casino Campestre is located on land donated by him to the City of Camaguey.
Father José Olallo Valdés worked there, and was beatified in the city on November 29, 2008.
Infrastructure
Street layoutThe old city layout resembles a real maze, with narrow, short streets always turning in a direction or another. After Henry Morgan
Henry Morgan
Admiral Sir Henry Morgan was an Admiral of the Royal Navy, a privateer, and a pirate who made a name for himself during activities in the Caribbean, primarily raiding Spanish settlements...
burned the city in the 17th century, it was designed like a maze
Maze
A maze is a tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route. In everyday speech, both maze and labyrinth denote a complex and confusing series of pathways, but technically the maze is distinguished from the labyrinth, as the labyrinth has a single...
so attackers would find it hard to move around inside the city.
Airports
Camagüey has its own international airport, Ignacio Agramonte International Airport
Ignacio Agramonte International Airport
Ignacio Agramonte International Airport is an international airport in central Camagüey Province, Cuba. It serves the cities of Camagüey and Santa Lucia.-Airlines and destinations:...
. Most tourists going to or leaving the Beach of Santa Lucía do so through the airport.
Education
To be admitted into the IPVCE, students must take an entrance exam after completing the preparation of the Basic Secondary Education (7th to 9th grade). During the following 3 years they receive intensive preparation in order to
gain acceptance to College.
The size of the institution qualifies it as a "learning city".
The students, during the three years period (10th to 12th grade), are influenced by bonds of brotherhood and learning that last a lifetime.
This center is homologous to others existing in the rest of the country's provinces. Students certainly form bonds of friendship that endure for a lifetime. However, on the downside, family bonds could be broken and "traditional" moral attitudes suffer as teenagers spend weeks away from their family.
In Camagüey City, there are other high schools, as well as schools for athletes ( ESPA, and EIDE ), for artists ( The School of Art ), and the Military High School "Camilo Cienfuegos" ( also known as "Camilitos", in honor of Camilo Cienfuegos, hero of the Cuban Revolution ).
The University of Camagüey, is located in the city, with engineering and basic and humanitarian sciences programs. There are separate university colleges for Medical education (Carlos J Finlay UNiversity of Medical Science) and Pedagogical Science.
External links
- Camagüey, Cuba: Essays, monographs, legends, poems, images
- Madison-Camagüey Sister City Association
- Links to sites offering Casa Particular in Camaguey
- Camaguey City Map
- Historic Centre of Camagüey by UNESCO
- Camagüey Pays Homage to Maceo and Che June 15, 2009
- Medicine & Health Anniversaries related to Camaguey by Camagüeyanos
- The most important Camaguey Beach