A video posted on Facebook reveals the state of disrepair that El Chapuzón is in, the most beloved natural bathing spot in Bayamo, in the province of Granma, where generations of Cubans grew up swimming in the river and snacking at its cafes and kiosks.
The images were recorded and shared by Juan Luis Vasallo Palomo, known as "El Quijote Bayamés", who walks through the area with the camera on and describes, with a mix of nostalgia and resignation, what was once a central recreational space for the city.
"It used to be like a café here, and they sold everything. Nothing was lacking. They sold juice, natural yogurt, snacks with almost all kinds of cold cuts, croquettes," he recounts while walking around the area.
El Chapuzón —also known as "Las Vegas" or "Vegas del Río Bayamo"— is a resort located by the banks of the Bayamo River, which served for decades as a popular meeting spot.
Families with children and young people from the area gathered there to cool off from the heat, eat at the dining area, and enjoy facilities that included a stage for performances, broadcasting booths, and multiple kiosks.
Vasallo Palomo vividly recalls that time: "Bayamo was a town where hunger was not an issue. There were many cafés, many snack bars, and everything was affordable; everything was cheap."
In 2017, the provincial government temporarily closed the recreational center El Chapuzón due to high pollution levels in the Bayamo River. Despite health recommendations, many people continued to swim in that old recreational area.
The final blow came with Hurricane Melissa, which struck eastern Cuba on October 29, 2025, causing the Bayamo River to overflow with water levels surpassing the height of trees and buildings in the area, reaching as far as the vicinity of nearby homes.
The main cafeteria was destroyed after the flooding and what remains are only a few small kiosks that the workers themselves have tried to set up again. On Saturdays, trucks come to sell root vegetables and spices: that is the only visible commercial activity left.
However, the deterioration of the place did not begin with the cyclone. El Chapuzón had already been undergoing a prior process of neglect that had turned it into a degraded space, even used to shelter homeless individuals. The hurricane accelerated a collapse that had been developing for years.
"This is what remains here of what we know as the Chapuzón," summarizes Vasallo Palomo in front of the camera. The video sparked a wave of reactions among Cubans both on and off the Island.
The sustained urban decline affecting Bayamo in 2026 —accumulated trash, open-air waste burning, damage to public facilities— serves as the backdrop that makes the image of the dilapidated resort even more painful.
The comments on the video range from nostalgia to indignation. "My God, there's nothing left, not even the little sales cabins. It doesn't look like what I left. How sad!" wrote a follower.
Another recalled his childhood visits: "How I used to have snacks at that café as a child! A group of friends and I would go to the river every day."
"Brother, everything that communism touches turns to dust," said another person.
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