Tuesday, August 3, 2010
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The entrance to the Afro-Cuban cultural mecca of Callejón de Hamel, Havana
Callejón de Hamel is a city block in Havana Centro, dedicated to the preservation and expression of Afro-Cuban culture. The entire block is covered in bright abstract murals and sculptures, many made from everyday objects like bathtubs and hubcaps.
Friday, July 2, 2010
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View of the Mural de la Prehistoria from outside the gates in Viñales, Cuba
The Mural de la Prehistoria is 2.5 miles west of the town of Viñales in the Pinar del Río province, Cuba. When I went to see this mural I had done zero research and thought it was some kind of prehistoric mural, painted by a prehistoric people. It's not. Its a mural of prehistory, or at least the artists rendition, and no, it wasn't a giant child's finger-painting lesson using only primary colors. It was painted in 1961 by Leovigildo González Morillo, not a giant child, and even after being recently touched up, the grossly colored mural of giant snails and dinosaurs smeared onto the side of a mogote is definitely not worth the 1 cuc entrance fee, especially when the view outside the gates is a little better.