The Arch of Belén and art in the streets of Havana

Every time I visit Old Havana, I enjoy strolling through its historic district and walking its cobblestone streets. However, on this occasion, my goal was to find a TV repair technician, as mine had broken down. As I headed in the direction indicated, I realized that I had to go through the Arco de Belen, located at the intersection of Acosta and Compostela streets.

Readers of my blog know that I am a habanera who loves to walk anywhere in Havana, but I had never been through the Arco de Belen. I was thrilled to walk through it and contemplate this ancient arch built to join the Convent and the Church of Bethlehem with its annexed facilities. It is a remarkable example of colonial-era urban planning, designed several centuries ago, before 1800.

Today, the area around the Arch is full of bustle due to the surrounding urbanization, with pedestrians and all kinds of transport circulating around it, from motorcycles and bicycles to cars. I really enjoyed passing by and seeing it up close, there is always a first time for everything.

Passing through the Arco, I turned right at the next corner, along Calle Habana, and almost reaching Calle Sol, I came across some great graffiti on a large wall that was the back of the Convent of Santa Clara. I love this kind of artistic expressions, although unfortunately they do not last long because they are always exposed to the elements and to some people, who instead of appreciating them, mistreat them. In spite of being worn out, they still looked beautiful.

I don't know all the artists involved in this art, but when I looked at the works I recognized two of them instantly: the artist 2+2=5, who always illustrates his characters with balaclavas. On this occasion, he depicted a centaur. There was also a tree that practically merged with the wall, on one of its sides was one of the mulattoes of the artist Fichu, which abound in Havana and on the other a large chimpanzee, I did not recognize the artist, but all the works were great, I am a great admirer of this art and there were some other works nearby. It is a pity that there are not more graffiti artists in Cuba.

After appreciating these works, I continued on to the technician's house, which was quite close. I arranged to meet him to check my equipment the next day. I took the opportunity to show you what I saw during my tour and thus join the #wednesdaywalk challenge . I wish you a great day, see you!

The photos were taken with my Xiaomi Note 11 phone recreated in canva.