Santiago De Cuba

Birthplace of Revolutions

Santiago was the last of the seven cities founded by Spain in Cuba, and it bears the namesake of one of Spain’s favorite saints, the apostle James.  Santiago was also the birthplace of both of Cuba’s revolutions, first of independence from Spain and then the ejecting of the US controlled government. We spent the day in Santiago learning about these times in Cuba’s history, while gaining more insight into the daily lives of modern Cubans.

I stand in the fort Castillo de Morro that guards the narrow opening of the bay of Santiago.

Like Cienfuegos, Santiago is also located on an expansive bay with a narrow neck through which ships must navigate to reach the open ocean.  And also like Cienfuegos an old military fort guards the neck of the bay.  This fort, el Castillo de Morro was our first stop.  A morro in Spanish is a rocky side of a hill, and indeed the fort is perched high on a bluff overlooking the ocean. 

Old bells for old forts.

The fort extends from the cliff above all the way down to the water below via some very old and weathered stairs.

Staircases hewn into the rocks allow access from the fort’s precipice down to the sea where fishermen do their best to catch some dinner.  Having watched in awe as our ship passed under the watchful eye of the fort on the way in, I decided to trek all the way from the top tier of the edifice down to the sea.  My journey proved to me more difficult than I imagined due to the poor condition of the stairs.  Many had dips due to years of wear making them uneven.  Others stairs were missing chunks, giving me pause before continuing.  I did not want to take a step and suddenly find the stone under my foot give way.

El Castillo de Morro watches over us as our ship leaves the bay.

I completed my descent and subsequent ascent however, the ascent being somewhat easier mentally since I did not constantly have to look down at the heights I might fall down should the crumbling stairs give way.  It was rather hot out and I was glistening and pink by the time I reached the top again.  Having only fifteen minutes remaining I ducked in and out of the various jail rooms that held political prisoners before heading off to explore the history of Cuba’s revolutions. 

The interior courtyard of the fort.

One of the many interior rooms of the fort, many once held political prisoners.

Cuba’s first successful revolution was led by he much beloved Jose Marti.  At this point I had visited monuments built to honor Jose Marti in Havana and Cienfuegos, but now I was to learn what Marti did.  Marti was a revolutionary, but of the intellectual type.  Growing up in Cuba Marti spoke out against the Spanish government and was sent into exile.  After spending stints in a variety of European countries he ended up in New York for over a decade.  From New York Marti continued to write against the Spaniards, organizing Cubans abroad and at home to rise up against imperial powers.  He returned to Cuba through Santiago and soon died in battle thereafter, very early in the first battle. 

The changing of the guard at the Jose Marti tomb occurs every half hour during the day.  This is the only location in Cuba tourists can photograph the military legally.

Jose Marti resides surrounded by plaques given from governments around the world, including the USA.

Marti is interred in Santiago, where his tomb is guarded day and night.  It was the changing of the guard at Marti’s tomb that was our next stop.  Soldiers march out every half hour in Soviet-like high steps to relieve their comrades of standing in the oppressive heat. 

This tomb houses famous generals of the revolution, with their family members in outlying tombs.

Emilio Bacardi did not just own a rum distillery in Cuba, but was also mayor of Sanitagos.

Marti is not the only person of importance entombed in the cemetery though.  Near his grave stands a pyramid marking the grave of Emilio Bacardi of the great Bacardi family.  Aside from starting the Bacardi factory in Santiago, which is now a government owned rum family operating under a different name as the Bacardi factory ran away to Puerto Rico along with their trademark after the communist state seized control of their Santiago assets, Emilio was a mayor of Santiago. 

I few relics decorate the summit of San Jaun Hill.  An amusement park sits next door.

Castro and Che Guavera stormed this army barracks as the first attack of their revolution.  They lost the battle.

Across from Emilio’s final resting place stands a mausoleum in which the remains of many great Cuban generals are interred.  Not wanting to deprive the generals of their loved ones, their mothers and wives are interned in graves surrounding the grand mausoleum, which flies a Cuban flag on its lawn in remembrance and respect.

We had a police escort in Santiago.  I am not sure why.

While Jose Marti may not have successfully liberated Cuba from the Spanish, it was not long after his death that the US stepped in to lend a helping hand in what is now known as the Spanish-American War.  Like Marti the rough riders led by future president Teddy Roosevelt chose Santiago as the place to make landfall.  One of the bloodiest battles of the short war was fought in Santiago at the rise known as San Juan Hill.  It was at this hill that the rough riders charged up the slope against the Spanish who held the high ground, ultimately attaining it.  At the summit now stands a small park with statues that commemorate the battle.  Next to the monuments is an amusement park including a gokart track and ferris wheel that ruin the atmosphere.

Revolution Square is impressive indeed, with giant machetes protruding from the ground symbolizing all the farmers who fought with machetes against guns for their freedom.

With the end of the Spanish-American war democracy was ushered into Cuba, kind of.  The US forced Cuba to state in its constitution to allow the US to intervene in Cuban foreign affairs and to lease land to the US for military bases.  Guantanamo Bay is still leased to the US as a result of this contract.  I doubt the lease will be renewed in the 2030’s when the lease expires. 

A typical street of Santiago.

Given the terms of the US cooperation that kept half of Cubans illiterate and a quarter unemployed, it is not surprising anti-US sentiment was common in Cuba.  The desire to be free of all imperialism led to the second Cuban revolution led by Che Guavara and Fidel Castro.  Again these two chose Santiago as their landing point on the island country.  After sailing a small boat from Mexico, they gathered a guerilla army and from Santiago steadily made their way across the island until the only land controlled by the US was Guantanamo Bay.

All we got to see of the once Bacardi Factory.  It now makes rum for the Cuban government.

Revolution Square in Santiago marks the beginning of the resistance, with large metallic structures jutting out from the ground.  These structures are supposed to be emblematic of the machetes that farmers fought with to free Cuba from the US.  It is interesting to note that the revolution almost ended in Santiago when Fidel Castro was captured when attacking and army barracks, the first battle of the war.  Castro was supposed to be executed, but a commander who agreed with his politics spared his life.  The barracks are now a school. 

A typical bus station in Santiago.

With a visit to Revolution Square, we ended the historical portion of our tour and spent the rest of our time studying the current Cuban culture and government system.  We saw another show presenting Cuban-Afro traditions, visited the cathedral in the main square, and ate in a palladar (a family home with a license from the government to operate as a restaurant). 

A ration book.  This book supplies a family for a year.

The inside of a ration book.

The palladar gave us an obscene amount of food which gave me the impression they thought all Americans are fat and eat like crazy.  Seriously, every person at our table was served enough food for a table of four to share.  We ate traditional beans and rice, baked cassava (similar to a potato), cabbage and green bean salad, fresh fruit including the best papaya I have ever eaten, fried mashed bananas, flan, espresso, and the meat eaters were in addition served a plate of shrimp, chicken, fish, and pork.  When asked where the family lived since their home was completely converted into a restaurant.  The waitress replied with their in laws. 

How mucha family gets for free or a very reduced price from the government in Cuba.

What really intrigued me about the second half of the day was finally getting an explanation that I understood about how the food ration system works.  Our guide passed around an example ration book and list of what each person receives from the government on a monthly basis.  The ration book lasts all year, and each time a person goes to the ration store, whatever they take with them is marked off in their book.  Should a person want more than their book can provide, they can purchase some food items from the store at extremely cheap prices, since all items in the store are subsidized by the government. 

Another show we saw showcasing Cuban-Afro traditions.

David had one more goal to fulfill in Cuba along this thread.  The cigars that tourists can buy (like Cohibas) from authorized retailers are not the cigars that most Cubans smoke, and smoke Cubans do a lot of.  I smelled the sweet odor of someone lighting up a cigar almost everywhere we went.  Instead, Cubans have access to what are called peso cigars, which they can buy for about the US dollar equivalent of four cents from government stores.  Tourists cannot buy these from government stores, because they are not allowed and the tourist currency (CUCs) are not accepted at them. 

Another square another cathedral.  It was from this porch the Pope bid farewell to Cuba on his most recent visit.

This nice cafe overlooks the main square of Santiago, and offers a reprieve from the heat.

Yet David wanted to attain a peso cigar to see what the Cuban people really smoke.  It is not uncommon for a tourist walk around Cuba and have locals approach them offering a special deal on Cohibas.  Most of the time these “deals” are peso cigars bought for four cents with a fake Cohiba wrapper.  So whenever a local asked us if we wanted a good deal on Cohibas we declined his offer, since they sell these fake Cohibas at high prices, and generally we do not condone dishonesty.  However wandering around Santiago on the way back to our ship a person approached us asking if we wanted a taxi.  We said no, since we really did not need one.  He followed up by asking if there was something we wanted.  David replied by saying he wanted a peso cigar, and the man responded with “that is the only kind I have.”  David paid a peso for the peso cigar, a markup to be true, but it bore the original wrapper presenting not ostentatious misgivings.  With that transaction we bid goodbye to Cuba and went home.

A peso cigar, the cigar Cubans smoke.