| Granma |
| The
province of Granma is named after the famous boat which took
Fidel Castro and 82 companions from Mexico to Cuba to overthrow
the Batista Government. You can find a lot of interesting sites
related to this expedition in the province: the place where the
boat landed, the site where Fidel had his headquarters, some
battle sites. Since Fidel was very conscious about the Cuban
history it's probably not a coincidence that you can find a lot
of sites related to the two Wars of Independence against Spain. Jose
Marti who made a similar landing as Fidel in the province of
Quantanamo 61 years before, died in this province. |
|
|
|
Granma,
Alto del Naranjo, La Comandancia de la Plata
(CW
2001)
|
 |
Whenever
in Cuba, you may not miss this place. After the disastrous
disembarkation of the Granma Fidel Castro and 22 others fled
into the mountains of the Sierra Maestra with the help of Celia
Sanchez. Here they created a big guerilla base and for two
years Fidel Castro's headquarters were situated here (After this
his headquartes were situated in the former Hilton Hotel in
Havana). From here the guerillas raided outposts of Batista's
army like La Plata and El Uvero. In February 1958 Radio Rebelde
started to broadcast from the mountains. Another famous hero of
this period was Frank
Pais. He was an underground guerilla who lived in Santiago
de Cuba. He sent many guerillas to the Sierra Maestra. |
| |
More
La Comandancia de la Plata |
|
Granma,
Bayamo
(CW
2001)
|
 |
In
this city the Cuban National Anthem was first sung on November
8, 1868 in the Iglesia Parroquial Mayor de San Salvador. It was
Perucho Figueredo who composed, in 1867, the music of the Anthem.
Later, in 1868, when the independence forces seized the city of
Bayamo, Figueredo wrote the lyrics. In the center of town at
Parque Cespedes there is a bust of Figueredo with the words of
the National Anthem. On the other side of the square is a statue
of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes in front of his native home, which
you can visit. Alongside the square is the Ayuntamiento (town
hall). In front of this building Cespedes proclaimed the
independence of Cuba in 1868, the beginning of the First War of
Independence. Next to the square you can visit the Iglesia
Parroquial Mayor de San Salvador. Bayamo also played an
important role in the Attack of the Moncada Barracks in Santiago
de Cuba in 1953. The Carlos Manuel de Cespedes military barracks
in Bauamo were attacked by 25 revolutionaries on July 26, 1953.
This way the revolutionaries hoped to support the assault on the
Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba by preventing
reinforcements being sent. In the north-east of town is a
beautiful Plaza de la Revolucion.
|
| |
More
Bayamo |
|
Granma,
Manzanillo
(CW
2003)
|
 |
Manzanillo
is famous for La Demajagua, the sugar mill estate of Carlos
Manuel de Cespedes and Celia Sanchez, who was the local
guerilla leader of the M-26-7 Movement during the landing of the
Granma. La Demajagua lays about 10 kilometer to the south of the
city. In the city itself you can visit a big monument for Celia
Sanchez and a nice Plaza de la Revolucion.
|
| |
More
Manzanillo |
|
Granma,
Dos Rios, Memorial of the killing of Jose Marti
(CW
2001)
|
 |
Shortly
after José
Martí had landed in Playitas
de Cajobabo with general Maximo
Gomez and four others on April 11 1895 to start the Second
War of Independence against Spain, he was killed at this site by
the Spanish on May 19, 1895.
|
| |
More
Dos Rios |
|
Granma,
Guisa
(CW
2001)
|
 |
Guisa
ist best known for the battle between Fidel Castro and Batista's
soldiers on November 30, 1958. After Fidel Castro had sent the
commandants Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos with their columns
to the west of Cuba, Fidel took the town of Guisa with his
column after a pitched battle. If you enter the village you will
see an armored vehicle which belonged to the Batista soldiers.
From this position, down in the valley the Batista soldiers shot
down three guerillas up on the hill. Behind the Plaza de la
Revolucion up on the hill you can find the graves and a monument
dedicated to the fallen guerillas of Fidel's group. |
| |
More
Guisa |
|
Granma,
Media Luna
(CW
2003)
|
 |
There
are two important reasons to visit Media Luna. It's the native
town of Celia
Sanchez. You can visit her "Casa Natal" (native
home) in Media Luna. The other reason is a very romantic statue
of Celia Sanchez at the central square of the town. |
| |
More
Media Luna |
|
Granma,
Niquero, Plaza de la Revolucion
(CW
2001)
|
 |
|
| Niquero |
|
|
Granma,
Pilon, Casa Museo Celia Sanchez
(CW
2001)
|
 |
Between
big Royal Palms stands the house where Celia
Sanchez lived during the landing of the Granma. We
understood that from here Celia helped Fidel Castro and his
guerillas after the landing of the Granma by sending them
supplies. Inside the house is a small museum dedicated to Celia
Sanchez. One of the most interesting items on display is Celia's
dental prosthesis. Part of the museum is dedicated to other
local heroes and the 1961 literacy campaign in the region. |
| |
More
Pilon |
|
Granma,
Playa Las Coloradas
(CW
2001)
|
 |
This
is the place where the Granma landed with Fidel Castro and 82
revolutionaries aboard on December 2, 1956. Fidel and his men
came back to Cuba to fight against the government of Batista and
start the Cuban Revolution. The disembarkation of the Granma was
disastrous. In Allegria de Pio the men had their first clash
with batista's army. Only 23 men survived and managed to escape
to the mountains of the
Sierra Maestra. An important supporter of the group was
Celia Sanchez, the M-26-7 underground leader in Manzanillo.
At
the site you can find a copy of the Granma. The original Granma
you can see in Havana in Pavillon Granma. There is also a
small museum with portraits of the 82 men and a map of the
route the Granma made from Mexico to Cuba. A boardwalk of 2.5
kilometer through the swamps will bring you to the exact
location where the Granma landed. If you are walking through the
swamps you can understand a little about the difficulties the
revolutionaries had to overcome.
|
| |
More
Playa Las Coloradas |
|
Granma,
La Aguadita
(CW
2003)
|
 |
This
is the spot where Raul Castro and his group (Ciro Redondo Garcia,
Rene Rodriguez Cruz, Efigenio Ameijeiras Delgado and Armando
Rodriguez Moyja) passed on 17 December 1956. |
| Along
the way between Pilon and Santiago de Cuba |
|
Granma,
Alto del Mareon
(CW
2003)
|
 |
This
is the spot where Juan Almeida Bosque and his group (Ernesto
"Che" Guevara de la Serna, Ramiro Valdez Menendez,
Rafael Chao Santana, Camilo Cienfuegos Gorriaran, Reynaldo
Benitez Napoles and Francisco Gonzalez Hernandez) passed on 19
December 1956. |
| Along
the way between Pilon and Santiago de Cuba |
|
Granma,
Cinco Palmas
(CW
2003)
|
 |
Cinco
Palmes is the place where Fidel Castro and Raul Castro and their
group of freighters met under 5 palms for the first time after
the disembarkation of the Granma. The place is marked by a
concrete stone with a plate. Nowadays there is a nice encampment
for young pioneers (Pioneros). |
| |
More
Cinco Palmas |
|
Granma,
Campechuela
(CW
2001)
|
 |
|
|
Granma,
Alegria de Pio
(CW
2003)
|
 |
After
the landing of the Granma and the first slaughtering of the
revolutionaries by Batista's troops, the remaining men reached
Alegria de Pio on 5 December 1956. All around Alegria you can
find the concrete stones which has been made to commemorate the
passing of the survivors of the disembarkation of the Granma. |
|
Granma,
Yara
(CW
2003)
|
 |
At
this place Carlos Manuel Cespedes fought his first battle
against the Spaniards on October 11, 1868. The monument
commemorates the fact. |
| Main
square of Yara |
|
