The Ignacio Agramonte Park in Camagüey has been vandalized with graffiti on benches and the floor

The Office of the Historian of the City of Camagüey (OHCC) reported acts of vandalism at the Park Major General Ignacio Agramonte y Loynaz, one of the most emblematic spaces in the historic center of the city, designated as World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2008.

The institution shared on social media photographs displaying names, nicknames, and initials spray-painted—in blue and white—on the benches and the floor of the park.

Among the inscriptions identified in the images are "GAARA," "PR," "JAIRON EL TATU," "KEVIN," and "TATCATE," in addition to a symbol resembling that of a cryptocurrency.

"Names and initials painted on the benches and the floor tarnish and assault the value of this iconic space in our city," stated the OHCC in its publication.

The institution characterized the events as a "serious social indiscipline" and warned that some of the damages are irreversible, which exacerbates the seriousness of the incident given the site's heritage value.

After the vandalism was discovered, the Maintenance Brigade of the OHCC and students from the Francisco Sánchez Betancourt Vocational School—affiliated with the institution and dedicated to training in the conservation and restoration of heritage—conducted cleaning efforts in the affected area.

The Agramonte Park is the oldest and most significant public space in Camagüey: its origins date back to 1528, when it was established as the Main Plaza of the town of Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe. It received its current name in January 1899 in honor of the independence hero Ignacio Agramonte y Loynaz, known as "El Mayor," a central figure in the Ten Years' War.

In the center of the park stands the bronze equestrian monument by the Italian sculptor Salvatore Buemi, inaugurated on February 24, 1912.

This episode is part of a growing pattern of damage to Cuba's historical heritage throughout 2026. In recent months, similar cases have been reported: the toppling of the bust of Antonio Maceo in Las Tunas, the destruction of a plaque dedicated to Pablo Neruda in Holguín, damage to the monumental letters "CUBA" in Santiago de Cuba, and the disappearance of railings from a historic bridge in Matanzas.

Current Cuban legislation penalizes graffiti on properties designated as cultural heritage with fines of up to 7,000 Cuban pesos in the most severe cases, although the effective enforcement of these penalties has not managed to halt the trend.

The OHCC issued a call to the public to protect the historical heritage of Camagüey, whose historic center boasts almost five centuries of history and represents one of the most valuable colonial urban ensembles in the Caribbean.