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All Cuba Havana Callejon de Hamel

Callejon de Hamel

A colorful narrow alley in Cuba is full of street art and sculptures made of found objects.

Havana, Cuba

Added By
Carol Guttery
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Callejon de Hamel.   Kirua/CC BY-SA 3.0
Callejon de Hamel.   Kirua/CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo taken in January 2024   jeanlikestotravel / Atlas Obscura User
  mocchiatto / Atlas Obscura User
  stefaniemklett / Atlas Obscura User
  stefaniemklett / Atlas Obscura User
  stefaniemklett / Atlas Obscura User
  dnnyglez / Atlas Obscura User
Rumba Sunday, Callejon de Hamel   Steve Paul / Atlas Obscura User
Photo taken in January 2024   jeanlikestotravel / Atlas Obscura User
  Avoiding Regret
  Avoiding Regret
Building mural in Callejon de Hamel.   cguttery / Atlas Obscura User
Bathtub sculptures in Callejon de Hamel.   cguttery / Atlas Obscura User
Callejon de Hamel.   Friman/CC BY-SA 3.0
Callejon de Hamel.   Paula Rizzi/CC BY-ND 2.0
Callejon de Hamel.   Richard Bogle/CC BY-SA 2.0
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About

Callejon de Hamel is a narrow alley in Havana filled with lively colorful murals and sculptures made from bathtubs, hand pumps, and pinwheels. It offers visitors to Cuba's capital a taste of the city's local art. 

Cuban artist Salvador Gonzáles Escalona describes his Afro-Cuban style as a mix of surrealism, cubism, and abstract art. After spending more than two decades producing artworks in Cuba, as well as the U.S., Norway, Italy, and Venezuela, the self-taught artist began adorning the alley outside his apartment with art in 1990.

After filling the alley, which stretches for about two blocks, with mosaics, paintings, and sculptures, including a throne that bestows good luck and a bench made of old bathtubs, his works started spilling out onto street and up the sides of the buildings.

The area was once rather desolate, but the colorful street now provides an eccentric backdrop for musicians and rumba dancers who entertain the increasing crowds of tourists and locals. Sunday afternoon rumba sessions are popular with tourists. A local children’s art program meets in the alley. The surrounding Cayo Hueso neighborhood once had a dangerous reputation, but Salvador’s art has helped to change perceptions of the area.

Related Tags

Art Murals Outsider Art Alleyways Eccentric Homes Sculptures Homes

Know Before You Go

Map the alley before you go because internet access in Cuba is iffy. The alley is located about a 15-minute walk east of the Hotel Nacional.

Community Contributors

Added By

cguttery

Edited By

erjeffery, Steve Paul, Avoiding Regret, Michael Inscoe...

  • erjeffery
  • Steve Paul
  • Avoiding Regret
  • Michael Inscoe
  • stefaniemklett
  • dnnyglez
  • mocchiatto
  • jeanlikestotravel

Published

November 10, 2017

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Sources
  • https://wayfaringviews.com/whimsical-art-havana-callejon-de-hamel-street-art-galleries/
  • http://www.avoidingregret.com/2016/11/discovering-religion-art-philosophy-in.html
Callejon de Hamel
Callejon de Hamel
Havana
Cuba
23.138609, -82.375676
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Nearby Places

Hotel Nacional de Cuba

Havana, Cuba

miles away

El Polinesio

Havana, Cuba

miles away

Grand Lodge of Cuba

Havana, Cuba

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Havana

Havana

Cuba

Places 22
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Hotel Nacional de Cuba

Havana, Cuba

miles away

El Polinesio

Havana, Cuba

miles away

Grand Lodge of Cuba

Havana, Cuba

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Havana

Havana

Cuba

Places 22
Stories 1

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