Parque de los Martires
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Parque de los Martires - Martyrs Park
Only a few blocks from Parque del Carmen, this small triangular in shape park doesn’t lack in charm. Its center piece is a truncated column, the only one in rural Cuba in honor of those fighters who lost their lives in the Independence War. Surrounding the park, we can observe examples of XVIII and XIX century’s buildings. While time and a lack of restoration have made it loses its beauty, the Railway Station is still a nice example of colonial architecture. There we can find, still today, an original colonial wooden family house. Another important building in the Park area is an art deco former Spanish garrison transformed in a school after the triumph of the Revolution. Its interior walls were considered the best example of The Vanguardist Movement Murals in all the country. The hand and brushes of most famous figures of Cuban Painting like Amelia Pelaez once honored it. Unfortunately, the paintings have been almost completely lost. This building is a school for young children and hasn’t been retouched for 5 decades, bringing this landmark to disappear.
It is almost a rule of thumb that Main or Principal Plazas in every town or city in Cuba have a statue of Poet, and independence leader Jose Marti, consequently must of these parks are also named after him. Such is the case of Parque Marti in Cienfuegos Province, or the main park in coastal Caibarien city in Villa Clara Province, just to mention two of them. In Santa Clara contrary to this tradition the statue of Marti is located here in Martyrs Park instead of Parque Vidal the main plaza of the city. Oldest Domestic examples of architecture in the city are found in streets connecting this park with near Parque del Carmen traveling east of them towards Parque Vidal.
