After finishing our Lonely Planet walk around Trinidad, we ended up back in Plaza Mayor.
We had a quick look through the Museo de Arqueologia Guamuhaya (the building with the Ionic columns in the photo below. The Art Gallery is the yellow building on the other corner.)
The Museo was an odd mix of bits and pieces, but I wanted to go into the courtyard to see the bust of Alexander von Humboldt. I had read a bio about him last year and was thrilled to know we had a Cuba connection with this amazing scientific thinker.
Humboldt briefly stayed in this house in 1801 when it was owned by Don Antonio Padron.
Public toilets do not seem to exist in Cuba.
Quick museum visits helped out with this little issue, although you could never be quite sure of what you would find (thankfully, we decided this part of Cuban travel was not photo-worthy!)
The Universal Benito Ortiz Galeria de Arte was much more interesting.
Built in 1809 for Ortiz de Zuniga (mayor of Trinidad) it now houses the works of modern Cuban artists (some are for sale).
Some of the original frescoes can still be seen on the walls.
The modern works provided a curious contrast against the older, faded frescoes and traditional architecture. I confess I preferred the older frescoes and wish they had been better preserved.
The balcony provided some great views of the plaza as well as up and down Calle Simon Bolivar and across to the bell tower at Museo Historico Municipal.
I spotted this old style arched window that Trinidad is famous for on the top floor.
The radiating wooden slats allow the air to enter but not the sunlight.
This post is part of Saturday Snapshot.
Good art always takes us straight into a moment. So many of these pieces do that for me.
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Your beautiful photos present a vivid view of the city, its art, and its architecture. Looks like a great place to visit. Like you, I prefer the older frescoes. They're probably difficult to preserve in the area's climate, but it's too bad they're deteriorating so badly.
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Gorgeous. I love this photo series. I especially like the photo focusing on the yellow bell tower - just the way the colors of the sky blend with the colors of the building. So many layers of beautiful color. Cuba looks like a wonderful place to visit.
ReplyDeleteFascinating architecture and artwork!
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