Santiago de Cuba: 495 years of history and tradition
Santiago de Cuba is the second most important city in Cuba and it is well known worldwide for the hospitality always offered by its inhabitants and for its cultural and historical traditions. Around its geographical environment, the main liberating revolutions took place; and the main rhythms and popular Cuban dances emerged from its intricate corners. Santiago, as well as the rest of eastern Cuban enjoys summer weather throughout almost the whole year, with annual temperatures ranging from 25 to 30 °C in the plains, and from 16 °C to 25 °C in the mountains. The city has numerous beaches and nearby scuba diving centers which make it a paradisiacal destination. The city borders to the north with HolguÃn city, to the west with Granma city, to the east with Guantánamo city, and with the Caribbean Sea to the south. Its territorial extension is of 6,343.21 km².The Sierra Maestra towers impressively beyond the borders of the city. This place was the scene of the major battles of the Rebel Army (Ejército Rebelde) during its liberation war of the 50s last century which ended in the triumph of Fidel and his "barbudos" (bearded men) and in the settlement of the Cuban Revolution. As in any other area of the country, races and cultures are mixed and enriched here in the Cultural Capital of the Caribbean, as it"s also regarded. It"s a city proverbially welcoming and genuinely Caribbean. Its population is mainly of mixed race, in a particular mixture of Spaniards, Africans, Haitians, Chinese, and French.  Â
The "santiaguero" is a citizen who humbly flaunts about belonging to the sole Hero City of the Republic of Cuba, a title that acknowledges the extraordinary legacy of its sons of the liberation wars of the Cubans. Santiago is a city privileged for its historic evolution. Two important places, declared by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites, are located in Santiago de Cuba: the Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca (known as "El Morro"), and the ruins of the first settlements of the French coffee plantations in the "Gran Piedra".   Â
A large number of other things are also the pride and joy of the "santiagueros": being the cradle per excellence of almost all musical rhythms in Cuba, a country where the music is its soul and roots; the "carnavales" (carnivals) taking place every July are the most spectacular in the island; its rum; its well known Festival of the Caribbean or the Fire Party, which turns Santiago every year in a city full of rhythms and colors; the International Festival of Choirs; and the Son Festival "Miguel Matamoros", among others.