A pleasant sensation overwhelms all the visitors of the crowded Hamel alley, a Havana site that displays before visitors, beautiful flashes of culture and ancestral traditions.
There, an air of nostalgia for the old meets the convoluted forms and joy of modern art, in a spectacular representation of Afro-Cuban roots.
These characteristics make the Hamel alley, one of the most visited places in Havana by tourists and nationals alike. Everyone wants to be filled with the mythical halo that surrounds it and that is felt even from its entrance designed with stones.
Afro-Cuban culture and traditions in the Callejón de Hamel
The stones piled up at the entrance to the Hamel alley they are a representation of immortality and the imperishable, of the glory to God and the Orishas.
Legend has it that the warrior gods are enshrined in them Eleggua, Oggun, oshosi y Osun.
Also, the entire site, including houses and buildings that surround it, are painted with colors representative of Afro-Cuban culture.
But there, the Cubans of history are also honored, among them José Martí and Salvador González Escalona, sculptor and main idealist of the Callejón.
The mix in Cuban syncretism
And is that the Hamel alley represents in all its syncretism, that cultural mix that is today's Cuba.
There you can find poems by Martí drawn on the facades and representations of Christian deities that have been associated with the Yoruba pantheon.
Visitors can reach the throne of Shango and thank him for his joys, in addition to asking the orisha for his protection. Likewise, they can visit the sanctuary that represents the practice of Palo de Monte.
Sundays are in the opinion of many, the best days for a visit to the Hamel alley, because that day the residents of the place dress in honor of the Orishas, between touches of drums, colors, dance and much joy.