We are not all Yumurinos.

The gaffe becomes even more noticeable when yumurina is used to name the entire territory of the province.

Among sports enthusiasts and particularly those who follow information related to Cuban athletes, it is very common to cite Yumurinos to refer to athletes from Matanzas, whatever their municipality of origin.

The mistake becomes even more noticeable when yumurina is used to refer to the whole territory of the province.

The gentilicio as adjective or noun that indicates the geographical origin of the individuals, allows that those born -and even residents-, in the Cuban province of Matanzas are called matanceros.

But the rich cultural history of its capital city leads to several nicknames that identify and exalt it.

There are Athens of Cuba, City of Bridges, Venice of America and the Gentle Yucayo. However, it is the river and the valley of the same name, Yumurí, which adorn its surroundings, that give its inhabitants the nickname of Yumurinos. The most known and used beyond our national borders.

So much so that there is a wide representation of works and socio-economic institutions that carry this patronymic. An example of this is the Matanzas newspaper La Aurora del Yumurí, baptized by pedagogue and writer Pedro José Guiteras as «The Prince of Cuban newspapers of the 19th century».

The cultural supplement Yumurí, which belongs to the weekly Girón, was born in January 1976, although it ceased to circulate in the last decade of the 20th century, and the telecenter of Matanzas, TV Yumurí, a television station that this December 10th celebrates its first quarter of a century.

Likewise, the University of Matanzas Sports Games are called Yumurinos and Yumurí is the national meeting of film clubs organized in this western province. In the food sector, the Yumurí Specialties stand out, with the popular and highly demanded salt crackers and canned fruits.

Written by Ana González Goicochea.