Robaina's

Robaina's
Robaina's plantation

Wednesday 31 July 2019

Porticos of Havana (July 2019)

Porticos of Havana
                 According to Wikipedia; A portico (from Italian) is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. The city of Bologna in Italy is famous for it's Porticos and houses the world's longest, the Portico di San Luca, at almost 4km with 666 arches. It's also the city with the most Porticos with 45km worth. I couldn't find a list showing me where Havana stands in that department but although it's not quite that high, it still contains a noticeable amount if you stop a moment to take notice. I spend a pretty good amount of time in Old Havana and from my experience, between the old part of the city edging into Centro Habana, you'll find a considerable amount of covered walkways....to the point that if it should ever begin to rain you're just steps away from cover. Besides being able to duck into a museum, shop or gallery during a rainfall, you may also get lucky and find a bar or restaurant with tables under the portico of what used to be someone's mansion centuries ago. Not all the porticos belong (or belonged) to nobility, many are attached to ordinary homes or what might of been middle class at one time. Regardless, it's one of the things that adds character to a city I love so much.





































Museo Casa de México Benito Juárez (Havana)

                 You can't stroll more than a hundred meters through Habana Vieja without walking by one or several museums along the way. As in most if not all cases, these buildings are converted mansions and sometimes it's difficult to discern what's inside without taking a peek or reading off a guidebook. This is one of those places. When I visited this time there were paintings from several Cuban Artists hanging on the walls. Below I've posted a few of those paintings. 
               The building that the 'Casa Benito Juarez' is located in dates back from around the late 1700's. It's on Calle Obrapia in Habana Vieja's Historic Center. It's been converted into a Mexican Museum housing several galleries that will display works of art from prominent artists from that country as well as history and culture from Mexico. Although the building is named after Mexico's first indigenous president of that country, there's very little if anything at all to be found about him except for his statue in the courtyard to the back of the building.
             Originally the house was first owned by Dona Isabel Pedroso and Herrera with the upper level being housing and the lower used as a warehouse and barbershop. After 1864 the ownership had passed onto Don Luis Pedroso and Echevarria who inherited it from his grandfather and by 1891 to Dona Josefa Pedroso and Herrera. During the 20th century it was used as a dwelling until the 1980's when it was slated for restoration with the help of certain Mexicans, distinguished individuals and the Cuban Government. By the 31st of October, 1988, it is inaugurated as the House of the Father of the Americas Benito Juarez who had been to Havana on two occasions prior to his presidency in 1853 and in 1862.





Calle Obrapía No. 116 esq. a Mercaderes
Opening hours: 9am-5pm Tues-Sat; 9am-1pm Sun
Addmission: Free

























Nelson Villalobos 1998


Ruben Rodriguez 2018 Canto a Los Ancestros


Leandro Soto 2018 Melomapa Para Caminar...


Idigoras 2018 Evocacion del Zocalo


Ricardo Miguel Hernandez 2018


Maikel Sotomayor 2018 La Ley del Monte


Mabel Poblet 2018


Emilio Rodriguez 2018


Segundo Planes 2012 Hombre de Sangre


Segundo Planes 2015 Cazador de Estrellas


Carlos Cardenas 1987


Kmilo Morales 2018


Jesus de Armas 1990


 Flavio Garciandia 1988


Jose Bedia 1987 El Espiritu de Fuego


Carlos Garcia de La Nuez 1986 Al Kilombo