Roberto Gonzalez
Historical, architectural and environmental symbols
We had the great fortune of having a room in the Jagua Hotel next to the wonderful palace built by a Spaniard from Asturias who lived in Cienfuegos. The structure, built in 1917 by the Spaniard Alcisclo Valle Blanco, looks like a Moroccan Kasbah or an overly ornate palace. It's Gothic, Romanesque, Baroque and Italianate influences combined with Mudejar style was in vogue in 12th and 13th century Spain. It's assumed that craftsmen involved in this work were of different nationalities and were experts in each specialty. All materials were imported, the Carrara marble, Italian alabaster, Venetian, and Grenadine ceramics, Spanish fittings and forgings, Talavera tiles and European crystals, as well as mahogany hardwood from Cuba.
This two-storey building has a roof terrace with pergolas and minarets, that you reach by a metal spiral staircase, and a basement with recreation facilities. In the 1950's, an investment company bought the land on which the palace is located, which was suppose to become a casino next to the hotl, but the revolution prevented that from happening. Today, Valle Palace is one of the main historical, architectural and environmental symbols of Cienfuegos, as well as its relationship to the bay and the Hotel Jagua.
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