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Santiago de Cuba Hotels
Santiago de Cuba Presentation and Overview
Santiago de Cuba is Havana's rival in literature, music and politics, and is regarded as the Cradle of the Revolution because of the pivotal role it played in overthrowing the Batista regime. In 1953, the young firebrand Fidel Castro and a band of insurgents attacked the Moncada military barracks in Santiago (the failed but famous 26th of July episode). After many of his rebels were tortured and killed by the army, Castro was captured and he issued his famous declaration, History will absolve me, in defense of his seditious actions. A local Santiago schoolteacher, Frank País, sparked an uprising of university students in 1957, attacking police headquarters. Assassinated by the Batista army in the streets of Santiago de Cuba, he became a martyr of the Revolution. Castro returned from exile in Mexico to wage war from the cover of the Sierra Maestra, west of Santiago, and 2 years later the rebel leader ultimately announced victory, on January 1, 1959, from the balcony of the governor's mansion (today Town Hall) in Parque Céspedes. Castro rewarded the city that supported him with the title "Heroic City of the Revolution".
Santiago de Cuba, it's the second biggest city in Cuba and, unlike other Cuban towns, has a noticeable Caribbean flavor due to the influence of the French planters and Haitians who settled there in the last century. Vibrant, tropical, and invariably sweltering, the population of Santiago de Cuba city is just under a half-million people ; in addition, the capital of the old Oriente province, it has the largest Afro-Cuban population in Cuba and - I repeat - a resolutely Caribbean feel that distinguishes it from the rest of Cuba. Santiago de Cuba is a world apart, with a unique history and rhythms all its own. The city's distinctive character is also due to its isolation from Havana, and its own history is as colorful as that of the capital (Santiago de Cuba's first mayor was the conquistadore of Mexico, Hernán Cortes).
Founded in 1515, Santiago de Cuba was the island’s first capital. It owed this distinction to a superb deepwater harbour, the majestic Sierra Maestra Mountains forming a dramatic backdrop. Despite losing its primacy early in the day, Santiago de Cuba was never eclipsed by Havana thanks to the French plantation owners and their slaves who arrived in the 18th century, turning the region over to coffee and sugar production.
Santiago de Cuba was one of the first of seven towns in Cuba and the Spanish colony's capital until 1553. Diego Velázquez, the founder of the original seven villas, built his mansion here, and the house still stands in the heart of the historic quarter. The Spanish character of the city would soon be supplemented by other influences. After the 1791 Revolution in Haiti, a large number of French coffee plantation owners fled with their African slaves and made their way to Santiago. Black Haitian workers followed, as did large contingencies of West African slaves, sold to work on the plantations.
Santiago de Cuba today has the requisite noise, traffic, and pollution of a large city, but the intimate, friendly feel of a provincial capital, with leafy, peaceful neighborhoods where men play dominoes outdoors on hilly streets. A visit to Santiago can feel somewhat frenetic, and some visitors find that the friendly, forward character of Santiagueros has a less pleasant side: some of Cuba's most persistent and annoying jineteros/as (hustlers) are found here. An industrial city, Santiago de Cuba was hit especially hard when Cuba lost its Soviet support and Eastern bloc trade partners during the Special Period; perhaps for this reason, hustlers and jineteras work overtime here to zero in on tourist largesse.
Still, Santiago de Cuba continues to earn its reputation as one of the liveliest and most individualistic cities in Cuba. The city's annual Carnival celebrations in July are famous throughout Cuba. Afro-Cuban religious traditions, including Santeria and other forms of worship, have their strongest hold here. And Santiagueros are also recognized for their take on Cuban Spanish, with a unique vocabulary and singsong rhythm.
Santiago de Cuba fans out from a deep natural bay - guarded by the 16th - century El Morro fortress - and sits at the base of low mountains. Fine excursions await visitors with time to explore outside the city: El Cobre is a sacred shrine set in the beautiful foothills of the Sierra Maestra, while Gran Piedra is a great rocky area just outside the city that invites hiking and relaxation in its cool environs.
Santiago, City of Struggle & Rebellion - Santiago has long demonstrated a fiercely independent streak. Among Cubans the city is known affectionately as the Cuna de la Revolución, or the Cradle of the Revolution. The first slave uprisings in Cuba occurred in Santiago, and the city had prominent roles in the wars of independence against the Spanish in 1868 and 1895. Antonio Maceo rejected a pact with the colonial power, laying the foundation for continued resistance, and became one of the leaders of the rebel army. Each of the 29 generals during the 30-year war against the Spanish came from the city, and the Bay of Santiago was the site of the 1898 naval battles between the U.S. and Spain. Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders stormed the Loma de San Juan, a low hill just east of the city, in battles against the Spanish that led to Spain's imminent defeat and withdrawal from Cuba (though Cuba's independence was effectively usurped by the Americans in the years after the Spanish-American War).
The city houses Cuba's oldest palaces and museums including the Casa de Diego Velazquez and the Museo Municipal Bacardi. It overlooks the Bahia de Santiago de Cuba and many houses feature lacy ironwork balconies, pointed windows and narrow external staircases. The Cementerio Santa Ifigenia is the final resting place of many famous revolutionaries, including Jose Martí, whose embalmed body is on display.
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