Santiago de Cuba: Is the West Really the Best?
Let’s be honest, when people think of Cuba, they almost always think of Havana; the malecón, Havana Vieja, Hotel Nacional, etc. This “Havana-centric” phenomenon is commonplace and can be problematic because there is much, much more to Cuba than just its capital city.
At EEAbroad we consistently challenge travelers not to oversimplify and rely on stereotypes. Countries are multidimensional, paradoxical, and don’t fit neatly into boxes. Accepting this complexity is more difficult than caricatures but pushing past our comfort zones while traveling develops an open mind, is highly educational, and can even be transformative.
Despite the fact that Havana gets all the attention, Santiago de Cuba is a city of tremendous worth. Santiago is located in the far eastern part of the island known as Oriente or la tierra caliente due to the consistently warmer temperatures in this part of Cuba. It’s the second largest city in the country and the second most important. Endowed with a large and protected bay, Santiago was the former capital of Cuba in colonial times. This city is noteworthy in music, culture, religion, and history.
West vs. East
There is a difference between the west side and the east side of the island. Most consider the half-way point to be somewhere around Camagüey province. Orientales (easterners) suffer from internal stereotypes as country folk who aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed. Cubans outside of Havana criticize the capital for having an arrogant superiority complex and consider themselves more refined and sophisticated than the rest of Cuba. When differentiating the west from the east (or even Havana from the rest of the country), some Cubans go as far as saying that “it’s not eastern Cuba, it’s the other Cuba.” Perhaps the historical and cultural factors do warrant this differentiation.
Moncada Barracks - site of the revolution’s first military attack.
Historically, Santiago has a rebellious legacy. Did you know that most of Cuba’s revolutions started in el Oriente? Carlos Manuel de Céspedes initiated the first independence war from his plantation in Granma Province in 1868. José Martí, after tirelessly organizing and petitioning, finally led rebels in Cuba’s final independence war in Granma Province (again) in 1895. Fidel Castro, whose presidential bid in the 1952 elections was crushed by a subsequent military coup, directed the revolution’s first military attack in Santiago in 1953. The East’s role in Cuba’s political history cannot be underplayed.
Cultural Sophistication
Santiago is closer in proximity to Port-au-Prince than Havana. This has not been without consequence. Starting in 1791, many French fled from the Haitian Revolution to eastern Cuba, some even brought their slaves with them. Not only did the French and Haitians bring superior methods of cultivating coffee but Haitian slaves brought La Tumba Francesa, a dance and music tradition fused from music of Dahomey in West Africa and traditional French dances. Today, La Tumba Francesa now forms part of UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the World.
La Tumba Francesca - photo by Vanessa Martina
It’s surprising how many renowned Cuban musical genres sprouted out of Santiago. These include bolero, son, and trova. No doubt you’ve heard of Besame Mucho - although written by a Mexican composer, it’s unequivocally a bolero song. Son is the grandfather of salsa music - the cultural significance speaks for itself. Trova music, most often performed by a singer and their guitar, is an important and well-known musical genre in Cuba whose songs often carry a poetic and intellectual sensibility. Famous troubadours include Compay Segundo and Eliades Ochoa, two members of the former Buena Vista Social Club.
El Cobre is a Catholic church dedicated to Our Lady of Charity located in the hills above Santiago. This is the most sacred pilgrimage site in Cuba. Cubans travel from all over the country, and even from the U.S., to pay homage or make offerings for prayers answered. Due to the sheer number of offerings, the altar has been cleared and a small museum was built dedicated to them which include awards, theses, crutches, pieces of hair,. Our Lady of Charity is the patron saint of Cuba and is syncretized with Ochun, an orisha from the African derived religion of Regla de Ocha (Santería).
Basilica El Cobre - photo by Wolfgang Weigelt
Santiago de Cuba can admittedly be more cumbersome to reach than other parts of Cuba because of its far east location but there's no reason to overlook it. Its lower cost of living and carnival, one of the best in the Caribbean, add to its appeal. To truly understand and get to know Cuba one must travel outside of Havana and Santiago de Cuba is by no means a bad place to start.