Leales al Patrimonio: An event organized by San Cristóbal Travel Agency

By Daily Pérez Guillén

The San Cristóbal Travel Agency presented the call for the first edition of the “Leales al Patrimonio” (Loyal to Heritage) event to the diplomatic corps accredited in Cuba. The event has been conceived as a tribute to the late Havana City Historian, Eusebio Leal.

In the National Capitol’s Salón de los Pasos Perdidos, Iliana Artigas, vice president of the agency, explained that the event scheduled to take place between November 11 and 16, 2025, “will promote the heritage values we have in Cuba, in all our cities. In this case, we are going to work with three cities, which will be Havana, Matanzas and Trinidad.”

The capital city will deal with colonial architecture, since it is one of the three provinces in the country with the largest number of buildings declared National Monuments. In 1982, Havana’s Historic Center, together with its system of fortifications, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2016, it also formally received the title of Wonder City of the modern world.

In Matanzas, African roots, popular religiosity and traditions will be explored in depth. Among the cultural attractions that participants will be able to access are the  San Severino Castle, one of its most outstanding stops if the Slave Route; and the Alley of Traditions, a socio-cultural project located in the limits of the historic center of that city, the scene of numerous temple houses in which the most important foundations of the magic-religious expressions that came from Africa are maintained and today represented in popular art practices of the community.

The intangible cultural heritage of this area of the archipelago also includes numerous attractive artistic manifestations related to the oral tradition of rites, legends and popular stories, theater, literature, traditional popular music and concerts, dances and popular festivals, among others.

In the center of the island, the Villa de Trinidad will be the context for those interested in delving into topics associated with the preservation of tangible and intangible heritage.

Trinidad treasures the most complete and best preserved historic center in Latin America. In 1978, it was declared a National Monument and ten years later it was inscribed on the World Heritage List, in recognition of the conservation work carried out over the years. This UNESCO declaration also included the Valle de los Ingenios.

Trinidad’s urban image is complemented by the vast presence of manifestations of popular art and local traditions, such as embroidery and needlework, ceramic, wood and vegetable fiber handicrafts, plastic arts, songs, dance and theater, which make it a regional reference for the preservation of its intangible heritage. On October 31, 2019, on the occasion of World Cities Day, UNESCO also awarded Trinidad the title of Creative City of the World.

The last night will close with participation in the rituals held every year to celebrate the founding of the Villa de San Cristobal de La Habana around the Templete.

Closing the presentation of the event, Antonio Guerrero, president of the agency, evoked the work of Eusebio Leal related to this institution about to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary.

“On November 29, 1995, the San Cristobal de La Habana Travel Agency was officially incorporated. Eusebio was the creator of all those tours that today are carried out in the Historic Center. He was a guide and a teacher of guides and creator of tours. He directed the restoration of the Capitol from day one. And he created the tour script for those guides of ours who are sitting back there. The first event of our travel agency is precisely dedicated to Cuban heritage. We are working on it thinking about what Eusebio would have done, how he would have planned it.”

The event will be jointly organized with Blue Diamond and all accommodations in Havana, Matanzas and Trinidad will be in four and five-star hotels of this brand. The package price covers all transportation, reception, movement and overnight stay expenses.

Interested parties can find more information on the San Cristobal Agency’s website.