|
|
Bayamo

Capital
City of Granma Province
Capital City of Granma
Province Population 128.000 Lots of coches to ride people
around the city. Lots of monuments because of its historical background
of fighting for freedom of slaves around 1868.
 |
The
capital of Granma Province.
The city has a rich tradition of Cuban national pride
and is often referred to as "the Birthplace of
Cuban Nationality" and "the
Cradle of Cuban Revolution." Additionally,
Bayamo has always been a center of philosophy and maintains
a rich intellectual and artistic tradition. |
With
a population of 130,000 people, Bayamo has experienced considerable
growth since it was founded by the Spanish in 1513 as one
of the original seven Spanish cities in Cuba. Today, its
major commercial importance is in sugar refining.
 |
Bayamo
was a valuable hub in the Spanish slave trade, especially
as sugarcane crops became the area's predominant economic
asset. As a result, there is a strong base of Afro-Cuban
culture in the area. |
During
the 1800's, the emerging upper-middle class of sugarcane
farm owners began to be dissatisfied from their lack of
representation and influence in the Spanish colonial government.
They resented the governors' tactics of continually ensuring
that most power, and therefore economic benefit, remained
in the hands of European-born Spaniards.
 |
Bayamo
was the stronghold of early revolutionary Carlos
Manuel de Céspedes, who freed his slaves
and declared war against colonialist Spain. During the
ensuing battles, Bayamo exchanged hands several times
and was once burned to the ground by Cuban rebels as
the city was being sacked by the Spanish. |
|
To
do in Bayamo
Antiguo
Ingenio Pilar de Jucaibama
Monument
Carretera a Mabay, km. 4
Bayamo
Casa
de la Nacionalidad Cubana
Plaza del Himno #36
Bayamo
| Casa
Natal de Céspedes |
 |
Calle
Francisco Maceo 57
Bayamo
Tel: 23/42-3864 |
Next
to the Hotel Royalton on the north side of the plaza, the
Casa Natal de Céspedes,
the birthplace of the "father of the Cuban nation,"
is the only house on the square that escaped destruction
from the fire. The significance of it alone being saved
is not lost on Cubans. Today it is a museum, open Tuesday
through Friday from 9am to 5pm, Saturday from 9am to 2pm
and 8 to 10pm, and Sunday from 10am to 1pm; admission is
$1. The house has been lovingly restored; the two-story
building holds a chronological exhibit about the Céspedes
family, elegant 19th-century colonial furnishings, objects
belonging to Céspedes (such as his ceremonial saber),
and a few odds and ends that help piece together the story
of Bayamo's independent streak (including the original printing
press that produced the first newspaper of free Cuba, El
Cubano Libre, in 1868). Céspedes
is remembered for refusing to trade his surrender for the
life of his son, who was captured by the Spanish army; the
Cuban patriot replied in writing that all Cubans were his
sons and he could not be expected to trade their independence
for the life of one man. The Spaniards promptly shot his
son Oscar.
| La
Catedral de Bayamo (La Catedral del
Santísimo Salvador) |
 |
An
immense, ochre-colored, 16th-century church that
succumbed to the 1869 fire. Rebuilt several times
over the course of its life, the church was recently
magnificently restored. It features a high peaked
wood-beam ceiling, and above the altar, an attention-getting
battle mural commemorating a pivotal local episode
when the parish priest blessed the rebel army
flag. |
This
blurring of the lines between church and state was
not the only overtly political statement to take place
in the cathedral; the first singing of the revolutionary
anthem was staged here in 1869. The cathedral is open
to visitors daily from 9am to 1pm and 3 to 5pm. To
one side of the cathedral, the small chapel Capilla
de La Dolorosa (Chapel of the Lady of Sorrows), which
dates to 1630, is distinguished by a lovely Moorish-style
carved wooden ceiling and fine baroque altarpiece.
|
| Conjunto
Arquitectónico de la Plaza del Himno |
 |
The
main square of Bayamo, also the Plaza del Himno which
has gotten its name after La
Bayamesa, the National anthem of Cuba |
Iglesia
del Santísimo Salvador
José Joaquín Palma #130
Bayamo
|
| Iglesia
Parroquial Mayor de San Salvador |
|
When
Nationalists of Bayamo decided to concur the Spaniards
they burned down this Parroquiral de Mayor San Salvador
all arts got lost. A beauty to visit with includes a
chapel build in 1740. The Cathedral is a very unusual
with tropical elements and fruits decorated church from
the 18th century. |
Museo
Provincal
Address:
Calle Maceo # 58, Bayamo
The visit to this provincial museum turns out to be
highly interesting. It is located across from the
park of Bayamo and near the birth home of the Father
of the Homeland, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes,
also a museum. The exhibition provides an account
of the historical burning of the city, when in 1869
its inhabitants preferred burning it down to giving
it over to the Spanish troops. Other documents of
the museum are highly important in the formation of
the Cuban nationality.
|
|
Museo
Nico Lopez
Near Abihail Gonzalez
Bayamo
|
| Museo
Casa Natal del Padre de la Patria |

|
Casa
Natal de Manuel
Carlos Cespedes, or better the house where
Manuel de Cespedes was born at April 18 in
1819. The most important man in the
war against the Spaniards. A beautiful 2
story colonial house overlooking the Plaza de la Revolucion
of Bayamo.
|
| You
can visit this museum at Calle Maceo No. 57, e/Marmol
y Plama at tue till Sat and Sunday morning. It's closed
at Jan 1, May 1, July 26, Oct 10 and Dec 25. Tel: 42-423864 |
Parque
Céspedes
Parque Céspedes is the focal point
of downtown Bayamo. It's an exquisite, peaceful square
flanked by tall royal palm trees. The light blue and
pink building at one end of the square, which today
houses a pharmacy, is where the great blaze began.
At one end of the plaza is a marble bust of the independence
fighter Perucho Figueredo that carries the words and
music to La Bayamesa
(later the national anthem), which implores
followers not to fear "a glorious death"
and encourages Cubans that to "die for the homeland
is to live." On the other side is a stately granite
and bronze statue of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes.
Ringing the square are handsome, pastel-colored, arcaded
colonial-style (post-1869) buildings. Had the city
not been consumed by fire, in all likelihood it would
resemble the remarkable colonial core of Trinidad.
|
|
General
Info
| Banks |
Banco de Credito
y Comercio
Esq Saco y General Garcia
Open Mo / Fri 8 am to 3 pm
Sat 8 am to 10 am |
Banco Popular
de Ahorro
Esq Saco y General Garcia
Open Mo/Fri 8am to 5pm |
|
Cadeca
Between bus station and Cupet
Open Mo/Sat 8.30 am to 6pm
Sun 8 am to 1 pm |
Mail |
|
Correo
Esq Parque Cespedes |
Medical |
| Hospital Carlos Manuel
de Cespedes Carretera Central (service Cupet) |
Farmacia Principal
Municipal
General Garcia #53 |
|
Farmacia
Medicina natural
general garcia y Saco |
Shops |
|
Balcón
de la Sierra
Tienda Departamental
Villa Balcón de la Sierra
Bartolomé Masó |
Farallón
del Caribe
Tienda Departamental
Hotel Farallón del Caribe
Pilón |
Tienda Departamental
Poblado de Pilón, Pilón |
Marea del Portillo
Tienda Departamental
Hotel Marea del Portillo
Pilón |
Tienda Departamental
Villa Bayamo |
Tienda Departamental
Hotel Sierra Maestra
Bayamo |
|
Photoservice
Novedades
Fotografía
Ave. Frank País s/n,
e/. Figueroa y 2da.,
Bayamo |
Guacanayabo
Tienda Departamental
Hotel Guacanayabo
Manzanillo |
Cabo Cruz
Tienda Departamental
Faro de Cabo Cruz,
Niquero |
El Yarey
Tienda Departamental
Villa El Yarey, Jiguaní |
Links
& Sources:
|
|
|