Traipsing Around the Old Santiago

The people, traditions and history of Santiago de Cuba make this city a unique place in Cuban geography. Next to turning 500 years of existence on July 25, 2015, the former village, today turned into one of the most important burgs of the island’s nation, holding prepared showing the riches treasures.

Click on Santiago de Cuba: A City of 500 Years

It is common to hear the locals say the "Center" to refer to the historic center of the city. A site covering an area of approximately 320 hectares and was declared a National Monument since 1978.

If you look closely you will notice that in this place the most important exponents of Santiago surviving colonial architecture and other buildings of the Republican period are clustered.

Currently, restoration and conservation works carried out in this and other parts of the city have enhanced their construction, environmental, artistic, social and historical values.

The old Plaza de Armas, Plaza Mayor and then after Constitution Square proudly renamed to honor one of the greatest Cuban of all time, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes.

This is also a place of legends that happen again and again each December 31. Conventional wisdom predicts a prosperous year if the national flag, which is hoisted at the town hall, flutters at its best. The opposite holds if the flag gets tangled up or spins around the mast.

A large number of avenues converge at this point surrounded by stunning architecture, such as the City Hall, the home of Diego Velázquez, the Cathedral and the Casa Granda Hotel.

Across the street, the Holy Metropolitan Basilica Cathedral Church, or just the Cathedral, stands tall. The richly-decorated interiors showcase works of great value, while the facade, crouching between the scaffolding framed there to restore its luster and originally worth, still retains the image obtained after the last remodel.

And to end the tour we stop at one of the busiest corners in the city. Right there, where the streets converge and San Pedro Heredia, the Casa Granda Hotel stands.

Built around 1914 is an ideal place to admire the space environment, either the Céspedes Park itself or a little beyond, in a setting which provides a breathtaking view of the bay, the mountains and the city.

Just take a look at the "old" Santiago and you’ll take a closer look at much of the history and traditions of this piece of Cuba.