Cuba Guide
Santiago de Cuba
At the eastern end of the Sierra Maestra, the roiling, romantic city of Santiago de Cuba, capital of the eponymous province and Cuba's most important urban area outside of Havana, draws visitors mainly for its music. Brewed from the legions of bands that have grown up here, the regional scene is always strong, but it boils over in July when carnival drenches the town in rumba beats, fabulous costumes, excitement and song. This talent for making merry has placed Cuba's second city firmly on the tourist map, but there's much more to the place than carnival. Briefly the island's first capital, Santiago maintains a rich colonial heritage, evident throughout its historical core and in the splendid coastal fortification of El Morro. The city played an equally distinguished role in more recent history, as recorded in the Moncada barracks museum, where Fidel Castro and his small band of rebels fired the opening shots of the Revolution, and the Museo de la Lucha Clandestina, a reproduction of the old police station burnt down during the troubles.
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