La Punta Research Articles

Habitat variety and behaviour of the Sanderling (Calidris alba) in an urban neotropical coastal wetland

Sanderling Calidris alba is a migratory coastal bird species whose populations are affected by climatic and anthropogenic issues. Additionally, its behavioural patterns depend on habitat variety. The aim of this study was to evaluate the variation in the frequency and duration of C. alba behaviour in relation to habitat variety in a Peruvian coastal wetland. Based on types of behaviour recorded in a previous study of C. alba during August and September 2019 at low, mid and high tide periods in three habitats of the Coastal Wetland Poza La Arenilla (HCPA) (La Punta, Callao, Peru), differences and diversity in the frequencies and durations of such behaviour between habitats were assessed according to tide condition. Additionally, a correlation analysis between the duration and frequency of behaviour for each habitat according to tide condition was conducted. General differences in behaviour (frequency and duration) between habitats were found, although there was a high similarity of behaviour between areas particularly when mid- and high tide levels were present. The greatest diversity of behaviour, both in frequency and duration, was observed generally during mid-tide conditions in rocky habitats. In most cases, there was a high correlation between the frequency and duration of behaviour for habitats according to tide condition. It is concluded that mid-tide conditions are associated with greater availability of soft substrates, favouring a wide variety of types of behaviour for C. alba, including behaviour related to foraging and locomotion.

Compositional Changes in Sediment Microbiota Are Associated with Seasonal Variation of the Water Column in High-Altitude Hyperarid Andean Lake Systems.

The lacustrine systems of La Brava and La Punta, located in the Tilopozo sector in the extreme south of Salar de Atacama, are pristine high-altitude Andean lakes found along the central Andes of South America. This shallow ecosystem suffers from permanent evaporation, leading to falling water levels, causing it to recede or disappear during the dry season. This dynamic causes physicochemical changes in lakes, such as low nutrient availability, pH change, and dissolved metals, which can influence the composition of the microbial community. In this study, we used a metataxonomic approach (16S rRNA hypervariable regions V3 to V4) to characterize the sedimentary microbiota of these lakes. To understand how the water column affects and is structured in the microbiota of these lakes, we combined the analysis of the persistence of the water column through satellite images and physicochemical characterization. Our results show a significant difference in abiotic factors and microbiota composition between La Punta and La Brava lakes. In addition, microbiota analysis revealed compositional changes in the ecological disaggregation (main and isolated bodies) and antagonistic changes in the abundance of certain taxa between lakes. These findings are an invaluable resource for understanding the microbiological diversity of high Andean lakes using a multidisciplinary approach that evaluates the microbiota behavior in response to abiotic factors. IMPORTANCE In this study, we analyzed the persistence of the water column through satellite images and physicochemical characterization to investigate the composition and diversity in High Andean Lake Systems in a hyperarid environment. In addition to the persistence of the water column, this approach can be used to analyze changes in the morphology of saline accumulations and persistence of snow or ice; for example, for establishing variable plant cover over time and evaluating the microbiota associated with soils with seasonal changes in plants. This makes it an ideal approach to search for novel extremophilic microorganisms with unique properties. In our case, it was used to study microorganisms capable of resisting desiccation and water restriction for a considerable period and adapting to survive in ecological niches, such as those with high UV irradiation, extreme drought, and high salt concentration.

Abstract C076: Income and incidence of lung cancer in the capital of an upper-middle country

Abstract Background: Worlwide lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related death. Research has revealed significant socioeconomic disparities in lung cancer; generally people from lower socio-economic status exhibit higher cancer incidence and poorer cancer survival. . Data on how socioeconomic disparities influence the incidence of lung cancer in Latin America is scarce. We evaluated the association of economic income with the incidence of lung cancer in Peru's capital city. Methods: This is a retrospective ecologic study with newly diagnosed lung cancer between two periods 2010-2012 and 2013-2015 reported in the Lima metropolitan Cancer Registry (Peru). The economic income was obtained from the National household survey conducted in 2012 and 2015, respectively.. To assess the statistical relationship between both variables, Pearson's correlation coefficient was performed. A p value < 0.05 was used to define significant association Results: Lima has 49 districts, including Callao. In the period 2010-2012, lung cancer incidence was 11.24 (median 10.36). La Punta and Carabayllo were the districts with highest and the lowest lung cancer incidences with 27.39 and 6.09, respectively. Regarding the economic income, the median was 230 dollars. La Punta (median 728.5) and Rimac (median 73.5) were the districts with the highest and lowest income, respectively. The Pearson`s correlation coefficient was 0.637 and the p value showed a significant association (p 0.0001) and the . In the analysis by sex, lung cancer incidence in women had no significant association with economic income (p 0.084) while lung cancer incidence in males was highly and positively and associated with economic income (p 0.0001; r 0.72). In the period 2013-2015, lung cancer incidence was 11.26 (median 11.21). Miraflores (26.53) and Ventanilla (5.01) were the districts with highest and the lowest incidences, respectively. The median economic income was 285.7 dollars. San Isidro was the district with the highest economic income (median 857) and Cineguilla (median 92.8) the one with the lowest one. The Pearson`s correlation coefficient was 0.501 and the p value showed a significant association (p 0.001). In the analysis by sex, lung cancer incidence in women had no a significant association with economic income (p 0.11) while lung cancer incidence in males exhibited a moderate positive association (p 0.03; r 0.471). Conclusion: In both periods, high economic income showed a positive association with lung cancer incidence. This finding was driven by lung cancer incidence in males as no a significant association was found in women. The reasons behind this finding need to be further studied. Citation Format: Katia Roque, Nanto Caparachin, Melanie Castro-Mollo, Marco Galvez-Nino, Rossana Ruiz, Ofelia Coanqui, Natalia Valdivieso, Mivael Hurtado de Mendoza, Edgar Amorin, Ebert Poquioma, Jose Cruzado, Luis Mas. Income and incidence of lung cancer in the capital of an upper-middle country [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr C076.

Evaluación de respuesta sísmica usando la teoría de vibraciones aleatorias en tres perfiles de suelo de Lima, Perú

Seismic response analyses are performed using a minimum number of seismic records as input motions in order to achieve a statistically strong estimation. Unfortunately, the available information recorded from the current seismic networks is still scarce regarding events with considerable magnitude. In this context, the Random Vibration Theory (RVT) arises as an alternative tool for performing site response analyses without the need of seismic records, since it only requires adequate probabilistic seismic hazard assessment.
 In this study, RVT was applied to three shear-wave velocity profiles in Lima city with distinct geomorphological origin. These profiles are characteristic for gravelly, sandy and fine deposits so the influence of each soil type in their corresponding transfer function was taken into account. In that sense, the three RVT-based normalized response spectra show good agreement with the design spectra specified in the Peruvian code, despite some amplification in the short (below 0.10 s) and long (above 0.80 s) period ranges related to noise or far-field effects. Furthermore, RVT-based response spectra for La Punta and Villa el Salvador show good agreement with the time-series based analyses from a previous study.
 In addition, spectral acceleration values surpass those specified in the Peruvian code for a range beyond the corner period. This could suggest that the soil profile characterization based on the time-averaged shear wave velocity from the upper 30 m might be insufficient to evaluate the overall seismic behavior of a soil deposit. Therefore, additional parameters that account for the deeper soil substructure might be required.

Use of Brachionus Plicatilis (rotifera) to assess the quality of marine water in Callao bay, Peru

ASBTRACT The present investigation used Brachionus plicatilis (Rotifera) to evaluate the water quality in Callao Bay, Peru. The water samples were taken in four areas: P1 in La Punta, P2 in Chucuito, P3 in front of the Callao Port Terminal and P4 in the San Lorenzo and El Frontón Islands, and in four seasonal periods: autumn-2015, winter- 2015, spring-2015, and summer-2016. Physical-chemical parameters, chlorophyll, phycocyanin, heavy metals, and bioassays with seawater at 24 h and 48 h of exposure to Brachionus plicatilis obtained from a standardized culture were evaluated in each area and seasonal period. High concentrations of Ag, Pb, Hg, Cu, Cr, Ni and Zn were found at all the sampling sites. The ​​ no observed effect concentration (NOEC) values (concentration at which a significant effect of mortality is not observed with respect to the control) and lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC) (minimum concentration at which a significant effect of mortality is observed with respect to the control) at 48 h of exposure to the B. plicatilis bioassay were lower for P1 (winter-2015) and P2 (winter-2015). Principal components analysis (PCA) showed that principal component 1 (PC1) contributed 38.70% and PC2 17.70%. PC1 was formed by LOEC of Cd, Hg, Ni, Ag, and Pb while PC2 was related to Cu, Cr and Zn. According to these results Brachionus plicatilis can be used as a bioindicator organism to assess water quality in the marine environment. Keywords: acute bioassay, Brachionus, heavy metals, mortality, rotifer.

AVES DE LOS HUMEDALES DE LA REGIÓN CALLAO: ACTUALIZACIÓN Y ESTADOS DE CONSERVACIÓN

Los humedales del Callao cuentan con una variedad de organismos de fauna y flora acuática. Estos oasis chalacos (Área de Conservación Regional Humedales de Ventanilla (ACRHV), Parque Ecológico Municipal “El Mirador” y El Humedal Costero Poza de la Arenilla-HCPA) cuentan con un gran atractivo Los humedales del Callao cuentan con una variedad de organismos de fauna y flora acuática. Estos oasis chalacos (Área de Conservación Regional Humedales de Ventanilla (ACRHV), Parque Ecológico Municipal “El Mirador” y El Humedal Costero Poza de la Arenilla-HCPA) cuentan con un gran atractivo para el turismo y la observación de aves. Sin embargo, solo se cuenta con un humedal con categoría de protección: Área de Conservación Regional Humedales de Ventanilla (ACRHV). Si bien es cierto, los otros dos humedales no cuentan con una categoría de protección, existen iniciativas para su conservación. Se identificaron las especies de aves que albergan estos humedales y se contó con información precisa de la avifauna residente y migratoria. Se calculó el índice de similitud de Jaccard para 1) determinar la similitud en la composición de especies entre los tres humedales: ACRHV, El Mirador y HCPA, y 2) calcular la similitud entre las mismas categorías de estacionalidad para ACRHV, El Mirador y HCPA. Las familias con mayor riqueza fueron Scolopacidae (22) y Laridae (14). En cuanto a la estacionalidad, la principal diferencia observada entre los humedales ubicados en el distrito de Ventanilla (ACRHV y El Mirador) y La Punta (HCPA) es en especies residentes (Re), con 55 especies para Ventanilla y 24 especies para La Punta. En relación a la similitud según estacionalidad, la mayor similitud de Jaccard la obtuvieron las especies migratorias boreales, con casi 59% especies compartidas entre el distrito de Ventanilla y La Punta. Los resultados de este estudio muestran la estrecha relación que existe entre los tres humedales del Callao, siendo hábitats compartidos para muchas especies de aves. Se requiere impulsar acciones para la gestión de estos ecosistemas a nivel regional, tales como la creación de un corredor biológico importante en la zona centro de Lima y Callao.

Temporal Changes of the Epiphytic Bacteria Community From the Marine Macroalga Ulva lactuca (Santa Marta, Colombian-Caribbean).

Microbial communities live on macroalgal surfaces. The identity and abundance of the bacteria making these epiphytic communities depend on the macroalgal host and the environmental conditions. Macroalgae rely on epiphytic bacteria for basic functions (spore settlement, morphogenesis, growth, and protection against pathogens). However, these marine bacterial-macroalgal associations are still poorly understood for macroalgae inhabiting the Colombian Caribbean. This study aimed at characterizing the epiphytic bacterial community from macroalgae of the species Ulva lactuca growing in La Punta de la Loma (Santa Marta, Colombia). We conducted a 16S rRNA gene sequencing-based study of these microbial communities sampled twice a year between 2014 and 2016. Within these communities, the Proteobacteria, Bacterioidetes, Cyanobacteria, Deinococcus-Thermus and Actinobacteria were the most abundant phyla. At low taxonomic levels, we found high variability among epiphytic bacteria from U. lactuca and bacterial communities associated with macroalgae from Germany and Australia. We observed differences in the bacterial community composition across years driven by abundance shifts of Rhodobacteraceae Hyphomonadaceae, and Flavobacteriaceae, probably caused by an increase of seawater temperature. Our results support the need for functional studies of the microbiota associated with U. lactuca, a common macroalga in the Colombian Caribbean Sea.

Physicochemical Parameters Affecting the Distribution and Diversity of the Water Column Microbial Community in the High-Altitude Andean Lake System of La Brava and La Punta.

Due to the low incidence of precipitation attributed to climate change, many high-altitude Andean lakes (HAALs) and lagoons distributed along the central Andes in South America may soon disappear. This includes La Brava–La Punta, a brackish lake system located south of the Salar de Atacama within a hyper-arid and halophytic biome in the Atacama Desert. Variations in the physicochemical parameters of the water column can induce changes in microbial community composition, which we aimed to determine. Sixteen sampling points across La Brava–La Punta were studied to assess the influence of water physicochemical properties on the aquatic microbial community, determined via 16S rRNA gene analysis. Parameters such as pH and the concentrations of silica, magnesium, calcium, salinity, and dissolved oxygen showed a more homogenous pattern in La Punta samples, whereas those from La Brava had greater variability; pH and total silica were significantly different between La Brava and La Punta. The predominant phyla were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia. The genera Psychroflexus (36.85%), Thiomicrospira (12.48%), and Pseudomonas (7.81%) were more abundant in La Brava, while Pseudospirillum (20.73%) and Roseovarius (17.20%) were more abundant in La Punta. Among the parameters, pH was the only statistically significant factor influencing the diversity within La Brava lake. These results complement the known microbial diversity and composition in the HAALs of the Atacama Desert.

Amiloidosis por transtiretina: lo que ahora vemos es solo la punta del iceberg

Amiloidosis por transtiretina: lo que ahora vemos es solo la punta del iceberg

Transnational representation of a gendered recession in corporate dramas

The cinematic depiction of the financial crisis has centred on the explanation of the causes and consequences of the global recessionary scenario in which gender acquires special relevance. My aim in this article is to carry out a hitherto unaddressed transnational analysis of corporate dramas. More specifically, I elicit the commonalities as well as local specificities that different Western cinematographies show when tackling gendered recessionary discourses on ‘mancession’ and ‘austerity’. Films such as The Last Days of Lehman Brothers (Samuels, 2009, BBC), Money Never Sleeps (Stone, 2010), The Company Men (J. Wells, 2010) and The Big Short (McKay, 2015) have, on the one hand, aligned with nostalgic and retro-sexist discourses by focusing on male suffering to confront the recession while relegating female characters as emotional companions of the male hero. On the other hand, the representation of female characters in these films has also put to the test the inconsistencies of neoliberal discourses when analysed from the perspective of genre. To illustrate the transnational dimension of the ‘narrated’ impact of the ‘Global Financial Crisis’ in different scenarios, I compare a US Wall Street film and a Spanish corporate drama of the Great Recession: Margin Call (J Chandor, 2011, USA) and The Tip of the Iceberg (La punta del iceberg, D Cánovas, 2016, Spain).

Food insecurity and malnutrition in vulnerable households with children under 5 years on the Ecuadorian coast: a post-earthquake analysis.

A household's nutritional status and food security can be affected after a natural disaster, especially in families who live in risk situations. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of food insecurity, inadequate dietary diversity and poor nutritional status of mothers and children under 5 years old from vulnerable families residing in the rural community of La Punta, after the earthquake in Ecuador on 16 April 2016. Through a non-probabilistic sampling, 28 families were selected. The levels of food insecurity in households were determined by applying a food safety scale and household dietary diversity score. Moreover, Z-scores were used to evaluate the nutritional status of children, while body mass index was used in mothers. All households suffered food insecurity, with mild food insecurity being the most prevalent (51.9%), followed by severe food insecurity (33.3%). Although all households had high diversity scores, the products they most consumed have low nutritional value, such as rice, soft drinks and oils. There was a low consumption of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Additionally, there was a high percentage of overweight and obese mothers (57.1%) and a high prevalence of chronic undernutrition (40.9%) and global undernutrition (13.6%) in children under 5 years old. The predominance of severe food insecurity occurred in overweight and obese mothers with inadequate dietary diversity. This probably happened because of a lack of access to food to adequately meet the nutritional needs of each member of the family. The results suggest that health promotion with actions aimed at food security is a priority within an integral action plan for natural disasters.

The Volcanic and Mining Geoheritage of San Pietro Island (Sulcis, Sardinia, Italy): the Potential for Geosite Valorization

Spectacular volcanic landforms characterize the Miocene lava flows and ignimbrites forming San Pietro Island (Sardinia, Italy). The island, furthermore, is a site of volcanic-hosted manganese mineralizations, which have been exploited until the past century. These geological features, set in a fascinating landscape context, represent a volcanic and mining geoheritage which could be valorized in terms of sustainable geotourism and scientific outreach. In this paper, we examine potential sites of volcanological and mining geoheritage interest of San Pietro Island, some of which are part of the Italian Geosite Inventory. We update the scientific description of geological features according to the most recent research results, because we consider that a geosite description should evolve along with the development of scientific understanding. Also, we present some new potential geosites, with a discussion of their scientific relevance and geotouristic potential. Three geo-volcanological features are identified: the spectacular megafolding structures of the comenditic lava flows, some peculiar and uncommon degassing features of ignimbrites, and the volcanic-hosted manganese mineralizations and the related mining heritage. Based on this, four geosites are proposed and described: Becco Nasca (lava flow folding), Cala Fico (lava flow folding and mining heritage), La Punta (degassing features of ignimbrites), and La Piramide (mining heritage). Some actions are suggested to promote the valorization of the geological and mining features of these geosites for geotourism and scientific outreach, and to raise awareness of these geoheritage values among the general public.

Analysis of structural performance of existing rc building designated as tsunami evacuation shelter in case of earthquake-tsunami scenarios in lima city

In 1746, Lima Region was hit by a severe earthquake and a consecutive tsunami in Callao City caused 96% of casualties in the Callao City population. Under SATREPS Project [1], several studies were realized, and they concluded that a severe earthquake (Mw8.6~8.9) may occur in Lima City [2], following by tsunami which may hit a large coastal area. In that sense, harmful scenarios can occur. Based on last studies, and historical earthquake consequences in Callao City; Local government in La Punta, the most tsunami prone district in Callao, has designated 19 reinforced concrete (RC) buildings as tsunami shelters. Nevertheless, the lack of the structural vulnerability studies of these buildings in front of an earthquake and consecutive tsunami scenario, makes uncertain the good performance of the buildings. Guidelines of other countries such as Japan, The United States and Chile, are oriented to calculate the tsunami forces; nevertheless, these guidelines lack information about structural performance of buildings in front of earthquake-tsunami scenarios. This paper describes a methodology to assess the sequential action of the earthquake and the consecutive tsunami to evaluate the structural performance and the damage level to ensure the safety of buildings and their inhabitants.

La alfabetización digital en las comunidades originarias Huarpe y Ranquel. Programa Escuelas Públicas Digitales de San Luis, Argentina. Un estudio de caso

This study analyzes digital literacy in the indigene communities Huarpe and Ranquel, located in the north-west and south-east of San Luis, Argentina, respectively. Both communities belong to the program Digital Public Schools from the University of La Punta, in which teachers work with different technologies as tools for enabling content and increasing digital skills useful for functioning in the knowledge society. This study aims to share an experience that arises as a result of State policies implemented in the province of San Luis (Argentina) to contribute to the educational inclusion of the Huarpe and Ranquel communities. The methodology used is case study, and in accordance to that, we have organized open semi-structured interviews and participant observation to collect data within a qualitative approach. For this aim, we have considered identity issues that are at the heart of communities and help to understand the contradictions that mark the way towards cultural integration. There is still a long way to go, through recovering the past, living in the present and looking towards the future, after a process of silencing of more than five hundred years. This task calls for creativity in the process of hybridizations and cultural mix.

Caracterización de la geomorfología costera y sus coberturas vegetales asociadas, a través de sensores remotos en la bahía de Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca

La presente investigación comprendida entre La Bocana y Punta Limones, en el municipio de Buenaventura (Valle del Cauca), describe las características geomorfológicas y de cobertura vegetal a lo largo de 95.61 km de la costa Pacífica de Colombia, utilizando el sensoramiento remoto a través de la técnica de Light Detection and Ranging–LiDAR aerotransportada e imágenes satelitales y de sus productos. Geomorfológicamente, el territorio está repartido casi que equitativamente entre planicies costeras y colinas, siendo un poco mayor el área de las planicies costeras con un 53.06 % del área total estudiada (5637.56 ha), que a su vez se constituyen por planos y llanuras con vegetación halófita, planos de inundación, plataformas intermareales no vegetadas, y en menor proporción de lagunas costeras y playas. Sobre las dos primeras geoformas predomina el manglar y sobre la última predominan las herbáceas de playa. Las colinas y lomas (46.93 %) también se hacen presentes con los bosques densos altos de tierra firme y los helechales no inundables. En general, para el área de estudio, la cobertura vegetal que más abunda es el bosque denso alto de tierra firme con un 44.94 % (3690.47 ha), seguido por el manglar con 37.65 % (3092.54 ha). La idea de relacionar las características geomorfológicas con las coberturas vegetales surge de la necesidad de contar con herramientas geográficas para el ordenamiento y manejo de la costa Pacífica.

DYNAMICS OF A MACROALGAL ROCKY INTERTIDAL COMMUNITY IN THE COLOMBIAN CARIBBEAN

The macroalgal intertidal community at a tropical location (Punta de la Loma, Colombian Caribbean) was monitored at irregular intervals from 1992 to 1995. The highly diverse macroalgal community was relatively invariant in cover, taxa and biomass from small spatial scales (square centimeters). At larger spatial scales (square meters), however, there was a small but definitive seasonal pulse in dominance and composition. Sand intrusions over the rocky intertidal represents a strong disturbance reducing macroalgal cover during the dry season. Interannual variation was also detected. La Punta de la Loma appears to be influenced by the regional upwelling conditions.

Factores ambientales en la propagación de la epidemia de matlazahuatl (1762-1763) en los pueblos de naturales de la Jurisdicción de la Villa de Córdoba

Many epidemics ravaged the population of the Nueva España during the Colonial Period. The Matlazahuatl outbreak that occurred in 1762-1763 is examined in this work. In documents from the National General Archive (Archivo General de la Nación), it was found that the natives of the villages under the jurisdiction of the Villa de Cordoba requested to be released from paying taxes due to the ravages caused by the epidemic.This was a widespread outbreak in the region. Nevertheless, it did not affect three villages: San Jerónimo Zentla, San Juan de la Punta and Santiago Huatusco. Using available historical sources, this paper analyses the ecological factors that seem to have affected the differential spread of the epidemic.

Scenarios of Earthquake and Tsunami Damage Probability in Callao Region, Peru Using Tsunami Fragility Functions

The implementation of adequate urban development and measures systems against tsunami impact in coastal communities is improved by understanding damage probability among building structures. Within the framework of the project Enhancement of Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Mitigation Technology in Peru (JST-JICA SATREPS), the authors analyze the damage probability of building structures due to tsunami impact in the Callao region of Peru. Two different tsunami hazard scenarios are assumed in assessing building damage probability. The first tsunami scenario represents the worse-case scenario of tsunami inundation that calculates the envelop of maximum inundation depth and flow velocity values from 12 probabilistic megathrust earthquake scenarios for central Peru. The second tsunami scenario corresponds to a historical tsunami event in this region. We apply a methodology for evaluating different levels of building damage by combining tsunami numerical results and tsunami fragility functions. Damage probability was analyzed in detail on a single building scale in the La Punta district. For the rest of Callao region, analysis was performed on a block-unit scale. Our results suggest that approximately 30% of submerged building may be washed away by tsunami inundation in the probabilistic hazard scenario and approximately 60% in the historical hazard scenario.

Geometry and Genius Loci: Battista Antonelli’s Fortifications in Havana

In the wake of the conquest of the New World by the Spanish crown at the end of the fifteenth century, the expansionist interests of the other major European powers had become so invasive as to convince the Spanish King Philip II of the need to develop a systematic project for the military defense of the most important ports and coastal areas of his new overseas colonies. Italian military engineer Battista Antonelli was the first to apply the methods and procedures of Renaissance military architecture to the construction of Philip’s fortifications in the New World. This paper analyses two important works of fortification that he designed and built in the city of Havana between the end of the sixteenth century and the beginning of the seventeenth: the Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro and the Castillo San Salvador de la Punta. Their completion not only introduced the European Renaissance culture of military architecture to the island, but also had a strong impact on the urban development of the city in general and its relationship with the surrounding territory.

Carmen’s Illusive Technicolor Fantasy in Miguel Delibes’s Cinco horas con Mario

Carmen’s Illusive Technicolor Fantasy in Miguel Delibes’s Cinco horas con Mario Christopher C. Oechler In Cinco horas con Mario (1966), Miguel Delibes portrays a widow’s attempt to cope with the recent loss of her husband. During her vigil at the foot of Mario’s coffin, Carmen Sotillo excoriates her late spouse for his progressive views and his inability to accept the totalitarian regime’s official values, which she parrots with an increasing frenzy. The novel possesses many theatrical and cinematic qualities, not the least of which is Carmen’s unrelenting, 250-page soliloquy that monopolizes the text.1 Gonzalo Sobejano compares this type of objective narrative style to a camera-like eye through which the reader experiences the text (217), and Juli Highfill notes that Carmen displays an acute awareness of her performance, “playing to her audience” (70). These theatrical aspects do more than give the novel a cinematographic texture, however; they thoroughly permeate the discursive level of the novel and highlight several cinematographic trends contemporary to the mid-twentieth century. For the present study, I will conceptualize the text as a type of cinematic script enacted by the protagonist, Carmen Sotillo, in order to construe her as both auteur and leading actress. By focusing on Carmen, I will explain the ultimate failure of a “movie” whose aspirations collapse into a subverted, contrarian version of the mythic landscape the auteur attempts to create. Her five-hour monologue in the presence of Mario aspires to a grandiosity it will not and cannot achieve. In Carmen’s attempt at authoring a filmic narrative, she performs a script that reflects the regime’s official discourse and follows the stylizations of Hollywood blockbusters. However, by adhering to such [End Page 235] models she unwittingly and inescapably produces a cinematographic image that runs counter to the regime’s escapist values. Her failed motion picture-like discourse estranges. Instead of delivering an epic Cruzada or a titillating Maximino Conde-esque love affair as it often promises, Carmen’s performance reveals a low-lit, low-budget examination of the painful social reality it attempts to avoid. From the outset, Delibes’s novel reads as a type of film script. Several of its formal narrative aspects reproduce cinematographic functions; for example, the third-person narrative voice records only speech and movement. This technique produces an illusion that mimics the mechanical capabilities of a video camera while at the same time minimizing the apparent presence of non-diegetic sound and narration: “Carmen se sienta en el borde de la gran cama y se descalza dócilmente, empujando el zapato del pie derecho con la punta del pie izquierdo y a la inversa” (9). In addition to these ostensible stage directions, Carmen’s ensuing monologue exists as an act of performance; her voice dominates a one-sided dialogue with a voiceless cadaver. Carmen employs language to portray an acute self-awareness of her role in actively forging this cinematographic environment. Throughout her monologue she interlaces an excess of parenthetical, self-referential interjections: “como yo digo” (83), “¡qué sé yo!” (216), and “[t]e digo mi verdad” (162), to name but a few. These parenthetical comments draw attention away from Carmen’s narrated moment, the flashbacks she references, to illuminate instead her narrating moment. She thereby retains the spotlight and dominates the cinematic space during her monologue, a scene seemingly comprised of one extended shot. While her interjections do present her as a narrating subject, Carmen also self-consciously exhibits her body as the focal point of her performance. Perhaps the most jarring example of her self-examination, tinged with autoeroticism, resides in her repeated allusions to her own oversized breasts: Carmen baja las piernas de la cama y al hacerlo se la recogen las faldas, y muestra unas rodillas demasiado redondas y acolchadas. [. . .] Luego se atusa la cabeza, introduciendo los dedos de ambas manos abiertos entre los cabellos, ahuecándolos. Al concluir, se estira el suéter bajo las axilas, primero del lado izquierdo; luego, del derecho. Menea la cabeza enérgicamente, denegando: – No tengo pechos de viuda, ¿verdad que no, Valen? (33) Her self-examination (and that of the director-like narrative voice) ultimately ends...