Cayo Hueso is a ''consejo popular'' (ward) in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Centro Habana Centro Habana is one of the 15 municipalities or boroughs (''municipios'' in Spanish) in the city of Havana, Cuba. A chinatown - ''Barrio Chino'' - is also located here. It is a smaller municipality of Havana, and it has the highest population dens ...

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Afro-Cubans Afro-Cubans () or Black Cubans are Cubans of full or partial sub-Saharan African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba associated with this community, and the combining of native African an ...

, it is known for its many cultural landmarks such as the ''Callejón de Hamel'', the Fragua Martiana Museum and the ''Parque de los Mártires Universitarios''. Although Cayo Hueso today is considered part of Centro Havana, originally it formed part of Barrio San Lázaro, an area bounded by Calle Infanta to the west, Calle Zanja to the south, Calle Belascoáin to the east and the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

to the north. Cayo Hueso was declared a ''

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...

'' on 26 July 1912, and made part of Centro Habana upon its establishment in 1963.

History

The earliest settlement in the current area of Cayo Hueso dates back to the second half of the 16th century, following the burning of Havana by French pirate

Jacques de Sores Jacques de Sores was a French pirate and corsair who attacked and burnt Havana, Cuba in 1555. Other than his attack on Havana, little is known of de Sores. He was nicknamed "The Exterminating Angel" ("L'Ange Exterminateur"). He was the leader o ...

. It wasn't until 1912 that the area was officially recognized as the neighbourhood of Cayo Hueso. Its name, which means "bone

cay A cay ( ), also spelled caye or key, is a small, low-elevation, sandy island on the surface of a coral reef. Cays occur in tropical environments throughout the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans, including in the Caribbean and on the Grea ...

", derives from the fact that the

Espada Cemetery The Espada Cemetery was located in the Barrio of San Lazaro approximately a mile west of the city walls of Havana, Cuba, near the cove of Juan Guillen and close to the Hospital de San Lazaro, Havana, San Lázaro Leper Hospital.Reynolds, Charles ...

was located there; it was demolished in 1908. Among the oldest institutions in the area were the leprosy hospital (demolished in 1916), the Casa de Beneficencia orphanage (replaced by the Hermanos Ameijeiras hospital), and the San Dionisio mental asylum which operated between 1828 and 1860. The asylum was located between the cemetery and the San Lázaro hospital, and named after the then governor of Cuba, Francisco Dionisio Vives. Modern sights include the

art deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

Edificio Solimar, built in 1944; the Casa Marina, a former brothel; and the Fragua Martiana Museum, dedicated to the "father" of the Cuban nation,

José Martí José Julián Martí Pérez (; 28 January 1853 – 19 May 1895) was a Cuban nationalism, nationalist, poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor, and publisher, who is considered a Cuban national hero because of his role in ...

. The museum occupies the site of the old San Lázaro quarry, where Martí and other prisoners were imprisoned. The Convento e Iglesia del Carmen, one of the largest churches in Havana, is also located in Cayo Hueso. Every year, a march known as the Marcha de las Antorchas (March of the Torches) takes place in the area to celebrate Martí's birthday. The ''Parque de los Mártires Universitarios'' commemorates the fallen university students who fought against the Machado and Batista regimes. Traditionally a black worker's neighbourhood, Cayo Hueso has been subject of various renovation plans. In 1984, the Cuban government began allowing rent money to count towards the purchase of properties, which led to generalized improvements to many buildings in Cayo Hueso. In 1988, Cayo Hueso was one of the first three neighbourhoods to take part in the ''Talleres de Transformación Integral de los Barrios'' (Comprehensive Workshops for Neighborhood Change). Between 1995 and 1999, an urban health improvement project, known as Plan Cayo Hueso, was developed. Since the 1990s many environmental initiatives have taken place in the ward.

Culture

Cayo Hueso is home to various cultural sites such as the ''Callejón de Hamel'', an

alleyway An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane, path, or passageway, often reserved for pedestrians, which usually runs between, behind, or within buildings in towns and cities. It is also a rear access or service road (back lane), or a path, walk, or av ...

decorated since 1990 by Salvador Gonzáles Escalona, in which events such as workshops and

rumba The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba ...

performances take place regularly. Similarly, the ''Callejón del Poeta'' (The Poet's Alley), dedicated to obscure German poet George Wearth, is home to

poetry reading A poetry reading is a public oral recitation or performance of poetry. Reading poetry aloud allows the reader to express their own experience through poetry, changing the poem according to their sensibilities. The reader uses pitch and stress, a ...

s. In 1997, the 14th edition of the

World Festival of Youth and Students The World Festival of Youth and Students is an international event organized by the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) and the International Union of Students after 1947. History The festival has been held occasionally since 1947, mainl ...

took place in Cayo Hueso. Cayo Hueso has its own

comparsa A comparsa is a group of singers, musicians and dancers that take part in carnivals and other festivities in Spain and Latin America. Its precise meaning depends on the specific regional celebration. The most famous comparsas are those that part ...

(

Cuban carnival The first African drums were heard in Cuba, since the 16th century, only during the celebration of certain feasts, such as the Día de Reyes (Three Kings Day) and Carnestolendas or Carnival, because their use was restricted to some mutual aid soc ...

group), known as Los Componedores de Batea, which was established in 1908. Among the musicians born in Cayo Hueso are trumpeters Félix Chappottín and

Mario Bauzá Prudencio Mario Bauzá Cárdenas (April 28, 1911 – July 11, 1993) was an Afro-Cuban jazz, and jazz musician. He was among the first to introduce Cuban music to the United States by bringing Cuban musical styles to the New York City jazz scene ...

, singers

Omara Portuondo Omara Portuondo Peláez (born 29 October 1930) is a Cuban singer and dancer. A founding member of the popular vocal group Cuarteto d'Aida, Portuondo has collaborated with many important Cuban musicians during her long career, including Julio G ...

and

Sara González Gómez Sara González Gómez ( Placetas, Cuba; June 13, 1949 or 1951 - La Habana, Cuba; February 1, 2012) was a Cuban singer. In the 1960s, she studied the viola in the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory. She graduated from the National School of Art Instruc ...

, and percussionist Pedrito Martínez. Other musicians famously resided in the neighbourhood, such as

Chano Pozo Luciano Pozo González (January 7, 1915 – December 3, 1948), known professionally as Chano Pozo, was a Cuban jazz percussionist, singer, dancer, and composer. Despite only living to the age of 33, he played a major role in the founding of Latin ...

and

Miguelito Valdés Miguelito Valdés (September 6, 1912 – November 9, 1978), also known as Mr. Babalú, was a renowned Cuban singer. His performances were characterized by a strong voice and a particular sense of ''cubanismo''. Life Miguelito Valdés was born ...

. In 1924, the Jóvenes del Cayo was formed, a band which would feature Valdés and other successful musicians from the area. The filin movement was largely concentrated in Cayo Hueso, particularly in a house on the ''Callejón de Hamel'', where

trova ''Trova'' is a style of Music of Cuba, Cuban popular music originating in the 19th century. Trova was created by itinerant musicians known as ''trovadores'' who travelled around Cuba's Oriente Province, Oriente province, especially Santiago de Cu ...

dores Tirso and Ángel Díaz hosted events with other influential musicians such as César Portillo de la Luz and

José Antonio Méndez José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...

. The popular 1960s group Los Zafiros, which continued the filin style and was directed by a former member of the Jóvenes del Cayo, Néstor Milí, was also formed in Cayo Hueso.

References

External links

{{Authority control Wards of Havana