Palmira
“The old Lucumís like to have their figurines, their gods, made of wood. They kept them in the barrancones. All those figurines had a big head. They were called oché. The Eleggua was made of cement, but Changó and Yemayá were made of wood, and the carpenters made them themselves.”
-Esteban Montejo
Palmira is well known for its Afro-Cuban religious traditions. Three cabildos and two temples to the Orishas crowd the town. Alive with tradition and pageantry, the Afro-Cuban gods have a home in Palmira. Afro Cuban religions have many Romes and Meccas. Palmira is one of them. Looking at Esteban’s life, it seems to us moderns as if he lived in an enchanted landscape. A land of magic and wizardry. Full of güijes, headless horsemen, and dead bodies that sprang to life. This was a world where witches and noisy spirits appeared like ephemeral light in the forests. A world of hexes and spells that “killed people, derailed trains, [and] burned houses down.” A world where magic was stronger on Tuesday than on Monday, when charms protected whoever wore them and enslaved Congos could fly back to Africa to replenish their souls. Many did fly back, particularly at night, he said. This, he insisted, is part of the reason why slavers stopped bringing Congos to Cuba. They could not get them to stay. This is the world of Palmira today.
Palmira
in Pictures
