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Matanzas,
a prosperous, culturemided city that was founded in 1693 and
which some call the Athens of Cuba, in reference to its many
poets, and others the Cuban Venice, due to the five bridges
that cross it at different streches of its Yumuri and San
Juan rivers.
Monumental
buildings of neclassical features are a proof of the boom
that this quiet city has experienced beginning in late 18th
century. Matanzas grew around a large bay, well protected
by a solid network of fotresses the most important of which
can still be visited and admired today.
Matanzas
is also the birth place of the Cuban national dance "The
Danzon" and of the "Danzonete"; it was and
still is a prominent rumba dancing place, and the home town
of numerous artists, composers, and intellectuals, who are
responsible for the city's traditionally intense, thriving
cultural life.
At
the head of the harbor, close to the downtown center, you'll
find a couple of small stretches of beach, where there will
almost always be a few locals swimming, fishing, and sunbathing.
However, the harbor is quite industrial and I'd highly recommend
you head over to Varadero for some much more inviting beaches. |
