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TRAVEL
Detail of the Torre de los Moreno and historical re-enactment of “Ribadeo Indiano”
houses, print shops, or cultural centres. The-
se were quiet but lasting acts of patronage
that changed not only the face of the town,
but also its pace.
The social life of the town was organised
around these new houses: in their salons,
there were musical evenings, literary gathe-
rings, mutual aid association meetings, and
welcome banquets. The indiano was not only
a benefactor but also a role model: someone
who showed that personal success could—
and should—translate into collective wellbeing.
A living heritage
Ribadeo has managed to preserve that lega-
cy with dignity. The indiano district has been
protected, catalogued, and promoted through
cultural routes, educational materials, and a
popular celebration that has already become
a reference: Ribadeo Indiano, which every
July transforms the town into a period stage.
Cuban music, dancing, historical settings,
white costumes, colonial markets…
For a few days, memory comes to life
and the past is celebrated as the future.
Today, many of the indiano houses re-
main inhabited; some serve as tourist
accommodation or cultural centres,
while others await restoration. But
all of them preserve the soul of those
who built them. In their doorways, the
echo of a mixed accent still resonates;
in their gardens, the botanical imprint
from across the sea endures.
Ribadeo, with its estuary, commercial
history, and ever-open outlook, is more
than a coastal postcard. It is a lesson
in how travel, when done with purpose,
can transform not only those who lea-
ve, but an entire community. The india-
no houses are its built memory—and
also its way of saying that returning is
not coming back to the same place, but
making it better
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