The morgue or autopsy room was inaugurated on October 20th, 1887, thanks to the contribution of Monserrate Canalejo and Hidalgo Gato, Lugareño’s widow.

The memory of the event is recorded in a white marble plaque placed on one of the interior walls of this place with the following inscription: “started by Mrs. de Monserrate Canalejo de Betancourt in 1886. Built by the foreman and architect during the presidency of Mayor d. Horacio Silva Sariol in 1887”.

It consisted of two rooms: the first one, functioned as a waiting room and morgue, while the second one, as an autopsy room.

It was built in a neoclassical style, the floors of the premises and the exterior sidewalks were made of Carrara marble, including the table for performing autopsies.

In the twentieth century the marble on the table was replaced by tiles, in addition to undergoing modifications to the façade and the carpentry. This is how it was until approximately 1980; but due to the destruction caused by the passage of time and the lack of use, it changed its function until it was turned into a warehouse or storeroom for construction materials.

Due to the high architectural, historical and contextual value of this place, the Office of the Historian works to rescue and restore its values, improving the environment and preserving those features that are unique, as part of the restoration that undertakes the General Cemetery of Camagüey.

A little history

Los Ángeles Street, or the third section of the cemetery, was built between 1859 and 1868 due to a new epidemic of cholera that lasted until 1863. The City Council, in order to increase the spaces for burials, approved the second expansion of the Cemetery.

For this purpose, it was acquired the land on Camposanto and San Gregorio streets, where the section wall was built. On February 12th, 1863, it was blessed, and on February 26th, following orders of the superiors, the key was given to the Chaplain and the land began to be used for common burials.

The land was destined to notable families and relevant personalities of the city. In the plot marked with the number 278, in the northeast block, were partially cremated the remains of a person who was considered as one of the most important patriots of Camagüey and Cuba : Major General Ignacio Agramonte y Loynaz. There are also the Chapel of Gaspar Betancourt Cisneros, the Lugareño, the Cenotaph of the Senior Nurse, known as Father Olallo, where his remains were for 115 years, before being transferred to the San Juan de Dios Church in which they rest after his sanctification. There is also the Family Chapel, where rest the remains of Carmen Zayas-Bazán, mother of the son and widow of José Martí. It can also be found General Lope Recio Chapel, Aróstegui Chapel, among other personalities.

At that time, for the construction of vaults and mausoleums, the presentation of the blueprint and and the corresponding investigation made to create it was necessary, along with a request to the municipal architect and the inspector alderman to issue the corresponding license; so this section is one of the most harmonious within the Camagüey necropolis, it is characterized by the beauty of its constructions and funerary art.

Why build a morgue?

In 1886, when the space in the necropolis was again insufficient, the extension of the section became essential: the third extension of the cemetery.

In the new extension, Francisco Cabrera Porro, a specialist from the Corps of Engineers and an expert who worked as a foreman of civil and military works envisaged in his project, to locate in the southeast quadrant a space for the Autopsy Room and Corpse Deposit, responding to the need for its construction.

Since February 1887, the Official Letter No. 90 of the Mayor Horacio Silva Sariol was registered, notifying the administrator of the cemetery about the City Council’s agreement on the task of creating the conditions for the construction of the autopsy room.

The administrator of the cemetery, together with the site inspector, were in charge of requesting a small house immediately to the place to function as a morgue and autopsy room, as well as the obligation to immediately communicate the amount of the rent.

Meanwhile, through the Official Letter No. 237, of April 1st of the same year, the same mayor, Horacio Silva, informs the approval of the City Council to rent, at a price of 1.50 pesos per month, the house right next to the necropolis, marked with the number 53 in San Luis Beltrán Street.

The request and construction of a morgue sought to free the property used for these functions, surrounded by houses, due to the possible risk of contamination of diseases to the neighborhood and the bad odors released by the corpses awaiting burial.

The place rented by Mr. Juan Riverol, had to be repaired amounting to five pesos, which were discounted from the first monthly payments of the contract. By October 15th, 1887, the premises were vacated due to the completion of the morgue built in the cemetery.

The Office of the Historian and an Open-Air Museum

A change of use was proposed to the site, so it will be an Interpretation Center, an institutional space promoted by the Office of the Historian of Camagüey City. It will be aimed at strengthening and promoting the values ​​that this place treasures; to achieve an interaction with the public and the community, providing them with elements that broaden their vision of the cemetery and recognize it as a place of important heritage values ​​within the city environment. And it will also have the mission of transforming this site into an Open-Air Museum, always respecting its aims and cemetery purposes.

When people visit the Interpretation Center, they will have the possibility of accessing the routes or trails, a proposal to get to know the Open-Air Museum that treasures the vast history of our Camagüey.

These routes are subdivided into: the patriotic trail, which includes veterans of the war of ’68 and ’95, the insurrectionary fight and internationalists killed in defense of the country. While the paths of legends and epitaphs, doctors, teachers, musicians, historians, architects, work heroes, athletes and  the pilgrimage for the anniversary of the town with the participation of the Historian Office workers; They also invite you to complete the historical and patrimonial content that the General Cemetery of Camagüey preserves.
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Consultations of the book “; by El Cementerio general de Camagüey: la otra ciudad; PhD. Adela García Yero

Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García