Santiago de Cuba

Santiago de Cuba Province is one of the most interesting and historically important regions in the country. In fact, the province claims to be the Cradle of the Revolution. The first charge of machete-wielding Mambí was at Baire in 1868. And in 1953 Fidel Castro’s attack on Batista’s barracks took place at Moncada, in the city of Santiago, initiating the Revolution that six years later brought him to power.

The namesake capital city, second only to Havana in size, is distinctive in mood and teems with sites of historical and cultural interest, from a castle and the 16th-century house where Diego Velázquez governed Cuba to a notable cathedral and the Moncada barracks. Nearby there are beaches and such attractions as Parque Bacanao, featuring a cactus garden, an aquarium, a crocodile farm, and the prehistoric world of Valle de la Prehistoria; and Parque Nacional Gran Piedra, reached by a circuitous road that leads through cool pine forest to a splendid garden perched atop a peak at over 1,200 meters. Another well-known haunt is the holy shrine of El Cobre.

The Santiagüeros carry themselves here with a certain lassitude and speak in a lilting tongue with a musical tone. French and African words appear, a legacy of the many French and Haitian families that settled here in the late 18th century. Santiago (and adjacent Guantánamo Province) has the highest percentage of African blood in Cuba. Though the traditional architecture is mostly Spanish, the faces are mostly black. Such musical forms as son were birthed here, and the city remains Cuba’s most vital center of Afro-Cuban culture.

Most of the province is mountainous. The Sierra Maestra rises west of Santiago, extending along the coast as far as the westernmost tip of Granma Province. East of the city, an elevated plateau extends for miles, slanting gradually to the sea, with a great serrated whaleback of mountains—the tall Cordillera de la Gran Piedra—behind. Behind these rise the Sierra de Baracoa and Sierra Cristal, extending into Holguín and Guantánamo Provinces. Together, they lure hikers and bird-watchers, as well as anyone interested in revolutionary history.

Casa de Don Diego Velázquez: The house where Diego Velásquez ruled Cuba is the island’s oldest house. In superb condition, it houses a fine museum. (read more)

Museo Municipal Emilio Bacardí Moreau: The museum begun by a member of the famous rum family holds his eclectic and fascinating collection inside a beautiful neoclassical edifice. (read more)

Cuartel Moncada: This is where it all began: The scene of the attack by Castro & Co. that launched the revolution is now a school with a gory Museum of the Revolution. (read more)

Parque Histórico El Morro: An enormous restored 17th-century castle with a dramatic clifftop setting holds a nightly cannon-
firing ceremony. (read more)

Cementerio de Santa Ifigenia: A who’s who of important figures in Cuban history, not least José Martí, are buried in this cemetery. (read more)

Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Cobre: A pilgrimage here is de rigueur to see the Cubans praying and making offerings to the Black Virgin. (read more)

El Saltón: Lace up those boots and head to the hills for hiking and a breath of fresh air. (read more)

Museo de la Guerra Hispano-Americano: This small yet excellently arranged museum displays maps, artillery pieces, and other articles relating to the Spanish-American War. (read more)