A video posted on Facebook shows the interior ceiling of the Teatro Sauto in Matanzas with visible damp stains on the beams of the ceiling, which has sparked outrage among hundreds of Cubans who are questioning how it is possible that one of the country’s most iconic theaters continues to deteriorate after years of costly interventions.
The recording, shared by user Reynaldo García, was made from a low angle, pointing towards the neoclassical ceiling of the theater. The dark stains of moisture on the beams are unmistakable.
The author accompanied the video with a biting irony: "This is the Sauto portal, look how it gets wet. Didn't they restore this, and it won some award for who knows what? It has another floor up there: I don't understand anything. Aaaah, the award was for the waterfall."
The clip gathered over 17,000 views, reflecting the accumulated frustration among those who are aware of the area's recent history.
The theater, inaugurated on April 6, 1863, and declared a National Monument in 1978, was closed for an entire decade -between 2009 and 2019- to undergo the most ambitious renovation in its over 160 years of history.
The authorities promised that the intervention would restore more than 90% of its original elements. The reopening in October 2019 was celebrated with official pomp.
Reality soon came to dispel that optimism.
In 2024, just five years after the reopening, a significant crack was detected in the roof over the main seating area. According to Radio 26, the leaks were caused by breaks in the rainwater downspouts and the poor condition of the waterproofing, with damage to the wooden boards and beams on the stage. The metal slabs with expanded polyethylene on the roof had separated over time, worsening the issue.
The main hall was closed for eight months and reopened on July 12, 2025, after restoration work on the mural of the muses and partial repairs. However, the general patching of the roof, structural reinforcements, and partial replacement of the roofing remain pending for 2026.
This week's viral video suggests that those works remain unfinished.
The deterioration of Sauto is not an isolated case.
In recent months, Matanzas has witnessed how other heritage buildings have fallen into neglect: a bush destroys the structure of the José White Hall, the Mausoleum of the Martyrs of Cárdenas has been looted, the General Lacret Morlot Bridge shows cracks and erosion, and the Mausoleum of the Martyrs remains vulnerable to looting.
The provincial patrimonial crisis is systemic, and the authorities have not managed to stop it.
The theater itself raised concerns in April 2025 about vandalism, the use of its entrances as a public restroom, theft of chains, and a complete lack of nighttime security in Plaza de la Vigía.
At that moment, the artist Adrián Socorro summed up the contradiction with a phrase that continues to resonate: “If that same effort to repress and besiege were directed towards this problem…”
A netizen stated bluntly in the comments of that complaint: "And no one is taking action; it has been reported to all relevant authorities, but no one dares to confront the issue—this is the state of the country's iconic theaters."
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