Santiago de Cuba is the second biggest town in Cuba and considered by many a cultural capital of Cuba. If you're interested in Cuban music, politics, history, literature, architecture or ethnology, make sure you visit Santiago and its numerous attractions. Influenced by Afro-Caribbean culture and cultures of nearby Dominican Republic and Haiti, Santiago offers a cultural mixture of both east and west resulting in a unique urban identity. There is no other town in Cuba with such an interesting mixture of people or such an interesting historical background. Founded by Diego Velázquez, the town has soon become the capital of Cuba, to later be used by Fidel Castro for his revolution. This is also where Don Facundo Bacardí established his first rum factory and where practically every genre of Cuban music developed, starting with salsa and son. Local heroes of Santiago include general Antonio Maceo, revolutionary Frank País, entrepreneur Emilio Bacardí, poets José María Heredia and José María de Heredia y Giralt and many others. For more information visit the local museums and their impressive exhibitions.

Photo by Rosino

Arts

Santiago de Cuba has always been the cultural capital of Cuba. Its cultural heritage is huge, starting with the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción built in the 1520s and the establishment of the church choir. In the 1790s opera came to Santiago de Cuba, brought by French plantation owners from Haiti. Performances were staged on regular basis at several theaters all over the city since 1800. In 1832 the first philharmonic society was formed in Santiago, while the Teatro de la Reina opened in 1851 and staged a series of French operas. The first zarzuela (operetta) written by a Cuban composer and staged in Cuba, La Hija de Jefté by Laureano Fuentes Matons, was performed in Santiago in 1871. Classical music was a big hit, but the folk music was just as popular and the region of Oriente developed its own folk culture with Afro-Cuban and French-Haitian influences (the latter caused by immigration of French refugees from Haiti in 1790s). Santiago de Cuba is where son and salsa originate from, but also many other genres of Cuban music like rumba are very popular and often performed in Santiago. Santiago is also the birthplace of two romantic poets of the 19th century, José María Heredia and José María de Heredia y Giralt, his relative. Both of them spent their lives outside Santiago. Santiago's art galleries are concentrated in the city center. Many of them sell original paintings and prints for reasonable prices. In case you're buying something, make sure you received an official sales receipt and an export permit to avoid problems with Cuban customs when leaving the country. Galería Santiago situated close to the cathedral on Heredia offers quality art, just like the Galería de Arte de Oriente which is considered one of the best galleries in Santiago.