Santiago de Cuba is the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in eastern Cuba. Santiago de Cuba is located on the south-east of the island, some 540 miles east south-east of Havana.
The municipality extends over 704 km², and contains the communities of Guilera, Antonio Maceo, Bravo, Castillo Duany, Leyte Vidal and Moncada.
Historically Santiago de Cuba has long been the second most important city on the island after Havana, and still remains the second largest. It is on a bay connected to the Caribbean Sea and is an important sea port. In 2003 greater Santiago de Cuba had a population of about 500,000 people.
On 12th June, 1766, the city was almost destroyed by an earthquake.
The city experienced an influx of French immigrants in the late 18th century and early 19th century, some coming via Haiti. This added to the city's eclectic cultural mix, already rich with Spanish and African culture.
Cuban poet, writer, and national hero, José Martí, is buried in Cementerio Santa Efigenia.
Role in the Cuban Revolution
Santiago was also the home of the revolutionary hero, Frank Pais. On July 26, 1953, the Cuban Revolution began with an ill-prepared armed attack on the Moncada Barracks by small contingent of rebels led by Fidel Castro. Shortly after this disastrous incident, País began talking with students and young working people informally, drawing around him what became an extremely effective urban revolutionary alliance. This developed into highly organized cells coordinating a large scale urban resistance that became instrumental in the success of theCuban Revolution.
Pais'group prepared carefully, accruing weapons, collecting money, collecting medical supplies. They published a cheap newsletter that reported news that criticized the government, attempting to counter Batista's censorship.
In the summer of 1955, País’ organization merged with Castro's July 26 Movement. Pais became the leader of the new organization in Oriente province.
On 1 January1959, Fidel Castro proclaimed the victory of the Cuban Revolution from a balcony on Santiago de Cuba's town hall.
Change in province boundaries
Until a rearrangement of province boundaries in 1976, Santiago de Cuba was the capital of Cuba's Oriente Province, which included the present day provinces of Holguín, Las Tunas, Guantánamo, Granma and Santiago de Cuba.
World Heritage Site
The local citadel of San Pedro de la Roca is inscribed on the UNESCOWorld Heritage List as "the most complete, best-preserved example of Spanish-American military architecture, based on Italian and Renaissance design principles".[World Heritage Site]
