Some of these bridges are already centuries old, and have transcended to this day for their aesthetic value and functionality. Converted into symbols of identity, they emerge as exponents of the splendor of various eras. Matanzas rightly and proudly bears the title of City of Bridges.

«Concordia Bridge»

Founded in 1878 with the aim of connecting the neighborhoods of Versalles and Matanzas, it is the first iron bridge in Cuba.

The Concord Bridge is a work of art considered by many specialists in the field as one of the most beautiful structures of the time.

Its design and construction were in charge of the architect Don Pedro Celestino del Pandal. Inaugurated by the then Captain General of the Island, Arsenio Martínez Campos, its name is related to the moment of «apparent concord» that Cuba was experiencing after the «peace» of Zanjón.

Already in the first decades of the 20th century, it became official under the name of José Lacret Morlot, a Cuban general in the War of 1968.

The bridge is the most significant symbol of the city of Matanzas. Miniature replicas of its triumphal columns are made from it to be delivered to personalities who visit the province or to prominent local figures.

“Calixto Garcia Bridge”

Concluded in 1897, it is also known as the Bailen Bridge or the Tirry Bridge. It extends 73 meters long and 6.30 meters wide over the San Juan River and joins the Pueblo Nuevo neighborhood with the Plaza de la Vigía, in the historic center and emblematic site of the City of Matanzas.

It was the only and lasting engineering solution to avoid the successive collapse of these roads, as a consequence of the floods due to frequent meteorological phenomena in the Caribbean. Also known as “el de Hierro” or “el de Tirry”, from 1899 he adopted the name of the patriot.

«Moving bridge»

The Iron Revolving Bridge over the San Juan River and the so-called Iron Bridge in the Yumurí (El Dubrocq) were built in 1904.

It was an important enclave for the transfer of goods to the port of the city. The most astonishing is the Iron Turntable over the San Juan River.

They say that the metallic structure was brought from New York, and that the most difficult part of its construction was the foundation.

The Giratorio was first called Puente de Oro, but soon the people of Matanzas began to call it «the Black Bridge», due to the blackish color of the metal.

Unique in Cuba, it is a steel bridge with a lower deck and was first supported on a wooden base, but since 1981 it has been supported by a concrete one. The decision to rotate it was related to not limiting the movement of merchandise in medium-sized vessels through the San Juan.

«Sanchez Figueras Bridge»

Considered the second reinforced concrete bridge built in the country, it was erected in 1916 and is located on the Calzada de San Luis, over the San Juan river in the vicinity of the market square, it is a masterful work designed by the engineer Conrado Martínez .

Without becoming an official symbol of the city, the image of this mass of concrete is necessary in the artistic spirit of the people of Matanzas. It is one of the most used bridges in the city of Matanzas.

It is impossible to imagine this city without its bridges. Bridges that are an appendage to the streets and neighborhoods, which are part of that whole that is the city of Matanzas.

Translated by Casterman Medina de Leon

La entrada Bridges: image and identity of Matanzas se publicó primero en TV Yumurí.