Ecomuseums and rurality: a case study in Cabaiguàn, Cuba.

Abstract: Cabaiguàn is a municipality in the province of Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, characterized by a typical cultural landscape in which the production of various crops in rotation with tobacco prevails. There are abundant productive soils, undulating plains and typical vegetation, which in combination with the buildings associated with agricultural production, make this area a rural landscape highly valued for its aesthetic quality. It also has the only ethnographic museum of Cuba, but unfortunately, it is a static and closed institution devoid of activities that involve the community. Taking into account these considerations, our group intends to design an eco –museum of rurality with the aim of protecting these landscapes and enhancing the cultural historical values through the incorporation of new economic activities in the field of tourism and recreation. As an initial task, a perceptive analysis was applied to the residing population in the territory in order to evaluate the visual landscapes. For this purpose, 100 photos of different rural landscape elements were used and were rated from a score of 1-10. These preliminary results allowed the design of two green ways. Currently the second phase of the project is underway, with the identification of natural and cultural resources in order to plan the strategy as well as the forms of action to enable the implementation of the rural eco-museum.