History of Baracoa - Guantánamo
The history of Baracoa-Guantánamo is very rich; This region has made many contributions to the history of Cuba since it dates back to 1492 when Admiral Christopher Columbus landed on its lands and in 1511, when the First Villa of Cuba was founded by Diego Velázquez with the name of Our Lady of the Assumption of Baracoa, in the Aruaca language "Existence of the sea". History has traveled from the developed agro-pottery communities, which turned it into a Taino capital, to the present day. Read More...
The region was closely linked to the independence struggles. In the 19th century, patriots such as Pedro A. Pérez and Félix Ruenes stood out. Along the coast of Guantanamo there were 2 important landings with the main leaders of the last war of that century: the Landing of Antonio Maceo and Flor Crombet by Playa Duaba on April 1, 1895 and on April 11 of this year the landing of Marti and Gomez by Playitas de Cajobabo. It also had a very active work as part of the insurrectional struggle on the Second Eastern Front for the revolutionary triumph of January 1st, 1959.
In Guantánamo there are still vestiges of the indigenous settlements in the area of La Caridad de los Indios, in the Manuel Tames municipality, an aspect of great ethnic and cultural interest. North American capital began to enter the Guantanamo economy at the end of the 19th century, mainly in the sugar industry, in services and in the jobs generated by the military enclave of the Guantánamo Naval Base. The Triumph of the Cuban Revolution marks the beginning of a deep socio-economic transformation in the territory, manifested in the disappearance of the large estates through the First Law of Agrarian Reform, the development of public health and education, as well as diversification of economic activities.