Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
Tourism Information
The Spaniards established the island’s first capital
here, after founding the village in 1514, without knowing
that centuries later it would become one of the main tourist
attractions in Cuba. In 1522, it officially became a city
and throughout the 16th and 17th centuries it was attacked
many times by pirates and corsairs, which prompted the
construction of the Morro fortress in 1640, as well as the
building of other coastal defenses.
Surrounded by impressive mountains that link the Sierra
Maestra to the sea, Santiago is a city of hills and inclined
streets, with numerous places of tourist interest and a
history linked to struggles for national independence. It is
also a city that brings together people of African and
Spanish origin, along with descendants of emigrés from the
French West Indies. Thus Santiago is a veritable melting pot
whose colorful identify is an outgrowth of its rich human
heritage.
Its urban center is the Parque Céspedes, so named in honor
of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Father of the Homeland. From
there, the history lover can explore the Metropolitan
Cathedral, the Municipal Palace, the House of the Young
Diego Velázquez (it is considered the oldest home in
America), the Town Hall, the Museo del Carnaval, the Casa de
la Trova, the Bacardi Museum, Padre Pico, a stair-like
street bordered by facades from the 16th century, the Museo
de la Lucha Clandestina, the Cuartel Moncada (scene of the
first armed action of the Cuban Revolution, today
transformed into a school), the cemetery of Santa Ifigenia
where the tomb of the National Hero, José Martí, is located,
and the Heredia Theater of the fortress of San Pedro de la
Roca del Morro.
Renowned for its colorful carnivals featuring Chinese
trumpets, French tumbas (a kind of drum) and all sorts of
revels, the city is also famous for its people, who are
hospitable, cheerful, sensual, and imaginative lovers of
life, in short, typical West Indians from what has been
dubbed the Capital of the Caribbean.
Santiago is the hottest city on the island, offering the
most intense blue sea, and the most flavorful arrays of
fruit, and is also proud to be the birthplace of the
daiquiri, one of the ten most famous cocktails in the world.
By the way, don’t be alarmed if you hear words you do not
understand, words that are different from those used in the
rest of the country. Santiago residents will speak of the "cutara"
(sandal), a type of slipper or shoe; they’ll say "pluma" for
"llave de agua", a water tap and part of household
installations; and "balance", instead of "sillón", to refer
to a rocking chair with arms. These are just a few local
terms that are as colorful as the people who coined them.
Santiago is also epitomized by the Santuario del Cobre, a
basilica erected in 1927 in honor of the Virgen de la
Caridad del Cobre, Cuba’s Patron who, according to
tradition, was discovered on the waters of the Bah de Nipe
by three miners, as well as by its cultural centers, where
eccentric Cuban traditions are kept alive.
The soul of Santiago resides in its nightlife, over which
the Tropicana Santiago and San Pedro del Mar cabarets
presids; in the fabulous Heredia Theatre and Dolores Concert
Hall; and in the 80,000 hectares Parque Baconao, Cuba’s
largest park, that begins in the city and ends in the lagoon
of the same name, a natural area renowned for its riches,
which UNESCO has named a Natural Reserve of the Biosphere.
From there, one can visit the Loma de San Juan; the Gran
Piedra, towering 1,234 meters above sea level; the ruins of
a French coffee plantation; the Granjita Siboney, the point
from which Fidel Castro and his partners left to attack the
Cuartel Moncada; the Prehistory Valley, featuring 200
gigantic reproductions of long-vanished animal life; an
underwater garden for divers; the Museum of Meso-American
Archeology; plenty of typical southern coastal beaches; and
marine grottos alongside unspoiled, barrier reefs, all
tinted by the intense blue and green of the surrounding
waters and the shine of "pelonas", a name used in Santiago
for the very flat stones that adorn the rivers and seas of
the region.
Excellent tourist facilities and the permanent smile of
Santiago’s residents guarantee a pleasant stay in this
eastern province, where to order a "macho asado" is to savor
the most exquisite form of pork in Cuba, accompanied by a
cold beer amidst the typical heat of Santiago. And don’t
forget that at the end of any traditional Cuban meal, or
during a conversation, a steaming cup of strong black coffee
is a must!
Also, the Great Sierra Maestra Park, Turquino National Park
(the Pico Real del Turquino is the highest mountain in the
country) and Desembarco del Granma National Park, celebrated
for its ecological value and tourist possibilities, deserve
special attention, among so many wonderful gifts which
nature has given this eastern Cuban city characterized by
color, happiness and big-hearted people.
You will savor every moment of your stay in Santiago and
carry it forever in your memory: a medley of color, sun,
joy, music, history, culture and heroism. That’s Santiago.
The Caribbean. The essential Cuba.