CubaPLUS Magazine

Along the western coast of Cuba, in the very beautiful province of Pinar del Río, there are the famous Matahambre Mines, dedicated to the mineral extraction of the copper boom in times past, and in whose surrounding community, full of history, there is the Municipal Museum of the charming and modest town.

It was under the protection of Law 23 of the Republic of Cuba that this entity was born, which is why creators have taken it very seriously, although to some it may not seem relevant compared to other majestic institutions in the nation. Its history goes hand in hand, a little, with the closure of the Capitán mine in 1997. Alberto Fernández Montes de Oca, with the lifting of the so-called Historical Site of Matahambre, declared a National Monument by the Commission of Monuments of the Republic of Cuba, on January 24, 2000.

It must be said that this site is a kind of expansion of the Municipal Museum, since it exhibits heritage pieces of great importance, which were useful in the production of copper ore, based on ancient technologies from the dawn of the 20th century. In some way then it tells us the story of the birth of industrial heritage of Cuba. The interesting institution has two permanent rooms and one temporary room, and its Accessibility is noticeable to locals and curious visitors passing through, in tourism excursions.

In the permanent rooms of the museum, work instruments used in the first mining excavations. The bulk, 80% of the pieces held by the Municipal Museum of Mines of Matahambre, are linked to obtaining the mineral and its productive processes in the area, which became very famous within the country when it was in its heyday of production, although its workers were very poor and hardly had any rights. The instruments and equipment linked to the exploitation of the deposit are notable and a series of photographs, of great heritage value, draws attention.

Between these highlights, the Matahambre S.A collection highlights ancient images throug which you can see the town in its first decades. The collection of Juan Font Tellería, who was a self-taught painter, is considered valuable. who was mainly dedicated to capturing peasant scenes in his creations, very customary. We will say that his headquarters regularly invites to cultural entertainment parties and a sort of gala, named Night with History, as well as the Peña del Patio. Such a site is more than an important Museum due to its essential function, it is also a great protagonist of cultural life in the wild and lively Minas de Matahambre.