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Images of Güines
You are not an old enough Güinero
unless you remember…
By José M. Estévez Casanova
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Aponte
smithy located on Máximo Gómez Street
four houses from Pinillos Street, operated by Gustavo
Aponte and his son Adolfo. They lived in a house next
to it and the mother, Paulita Álvarez and the
other children Angélica, Arnaldo, Anita and
Armando composed the family… |
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El Amparo
(The Protection) pharmacy, which was located
on Máximo Gómez Street across El
Encanto (The Charm) store,
between Trujillo and Suárez Streets… |
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The electric streetcars
Providencia-Güines-La Habana, when
they made between 16 to 18 daily round trips, especially
from Güines to Havana and vice-versa… |
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Leandro (aka.
Leandrito)
Rodríguez, officer of the Villa’s
Municipal Police, whose main task was to serve subpoenas
and notices of hearings in legal proceedings… |
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Arango y Parreño school
located on Maceo Street, between Habana and Trujillo
Streets across the back of the Parish Church… |
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The grandiose street fairs that were
held, sometimes in the lot where later on Güines
Agricultural Bank was built in the corner of
Habana and Máximo Gómez Streets, and
on other occasions in the Central Park… |
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The target shooting gallery located next
to Ayala
cinema operated by Mr. Mariano Labastilla and his
sons, Perucho and Armandito… |
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The spread of zinc sheets caused by the
1926 hurricane when Ayala
cinema’s building was left without a roof. Next
day, many persons returned to Daniel the sheets that
fell on their homes’s backyards. They were easily
recognizable because they were painted red… |
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The astonishment caused to great composer
and pianist Mr.Antonio María Romeu when, taking
advantage of an intermission during a dance being
held in our unforgettable Lyceum, due
to the festivities of our Patron Saint San
Julián (January 28th.), he was enjoying
a cup of espresso coffee in El
Caracolillo kiosk (The Little Shell
and also the name of a highly regarded coffee variety),
from where he was able to hear played at the piano,
the danzón
(a typical Cuban dance) A
Güines (To Güines)
composed by him and that his orchestra had played
it for the first time only a few minutes before. When
he asked who was the person repeating it, he was informed
that it was the Güinero
pianist Manolo Taracido who was playing it from the
house of Don Pedro Urruela’s family, located
upstairs of the grocery store La
Fama (The Fame), across the
before mentioned kiosk. Needless to say that Taracido
was highly congratulated by Maestro Romeu not only
for his astonishing memory but also for his genial
interpretation… |
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The spectacular collapse of the second
floor of the building occupied by La
Máquina de Arroz (The Rice
Mill), located at the beginning of Máximo
Gómez Street in its corner with Dos (Second)
Street, caused by the same 1926 hurricane, referred
to before… |
(Copied from La Villa magazine,
official voice of Círculo Güinero de
Los Ángeles, #107, November-December 1982,
#108, January-February-March
1983, #109, April-September 1983, #110, October-December 1983, #111,
January-June 1984,
#112, July-August-September 1984, #113, October-November-December
1984, #114, January-June 1985,
#116, November-December 1985, #117, January-February-March
1986 and #120, January-February-March 1987)
Translated by the staff of Círculo
Güinero de Los Ángeles Continue to: More "Images"
Continue to: Our Villa of
Güines
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Electric train station,
Güines, circa 1907. The Havana Central Company
inaugurated this electric line to Güines in 1907.
In 1939 the line was converted to run on steam and
diesel. Photos and background courtesy of Allen
Morrison |
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