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• Arts and Culture
• Caribbean
• Destinations
• history
• Matanzas
• national
• Business and Economy
• 06 / 12 / 2009

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Specialists Yairis Rivero and Miriam Ferrera, from the office of the Matanzas city historian, have found the building where, in the 19th century, the city was dubbed 'The Athens of Cuba'.

Its a big house located on the San Severino alley, in the center of the city, near the San Juan River. It was there that the Artistic and Literary Lyceum was initially located, and where the famous gatherings of Domingo del Monte and other renowned intellectuals at the time were held.

According to the publication made on Wednesday by notable Cuban journalist and historian Reynaldo González Villalonga, the specialists found the place after a patient analysis of documents dating back to the second half of the 19th century, preserved in the historical archives.

They also looked for information in editions of the anthological La Aurora del Yumurí newspaper, which reported that during the inaugural ceremony of the aforementioned lyceum, on February 17th, 1860, Don Rafael del Villar called the city 'The Athens of Cuba', a name used until today.

The Floral Games, in which a large number of intellectuals from the provinces of Havana and Matanzas participated, took place in this cultural institution, which later on moved to a building across La Libertad Park, where the José White Hall is now undergoing major repairs.

According to historians, Cuban poet Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda received a homage there in 1861, and figures like Lola Cruz, José Jacinto Milanés, Eusebio Guiteras and other well-known intellectuals used to attend this cultural center.


(Juventud Rebelde)