A Road Trip through the old Western Oriente

Images of Holguin: (Top, Left) Highrise residential towers in Reparto Plaza de la Revolucion. (Top, Center) Statue of Independence War hero Julio Grave de Peralta at Parque de las Flores. (Top, Right) Tomb of Independence War hero General Calixto Garcia at the Plaza de la Revolucion. (Center) Banner of the local baseball team, the Cachorros, los perros que muerden callao. (Below) The old Spanish cuartel, La Periquera, which became the Casino Español.

The western part of the old Oriente province, which is now divided into the provinces of Holguin, Granma and Las Tunas, has been a hotbed of dissent since Spanish colonial times. This was the region were the first call to arms for Cuban Independence from Spain was proclaimed at the Cry of Bayamo and where three generations of rebel leaders emerged, namely, Bayamo-native Carlos Manuel Cespedes (during the First Independence War), Holguin-native Calixto Garcia (during the Second Independence War) and, in the 20th century, Biran-natives Fidel and Raul Castro. Read more ...