Baracoa, Cuba

Founded by conquistador Diego Velázquez in 1511, Baracoa (first named Señora de la Asunción de Baracoa) is the first settlement established in Cuba following the arrival of the Spanish in the island. It was, accordingly, Cuba’s first capital and bishopric. Baracoa, it is believed, is an aboriginal word which means “the sea’s presence”, a clear allusion to the location’s maritime surroundings.

Declared a national heritage site, the city is bathed by the Miel river and boasts natural attractions such as the Toa river (graced by many waterfalls) and the Yunque or Anvil mountain, so named because of its physical resemblance to the blacksmith’s tool.

The city is accessed via a serpentine road (named La Farola) that winds among mountains. It comprises 11 hanging bridges, the highest, at 600 meters above sea-level, being the Altos de Cotilla. There is also a small airport (for domestic flights, primarily), located the west of the bay, around 4 kilometers north-west from the city. Though flights to Baracoa are uncommon, Cubana occasionally offers trips from Santiago de Cuba and Aerocaribe from Havana.

Traces of Baracoa’s colonial past under Spanish domination are clearly discernible around the city, particularly in the forts of El Castillo and La Punta and the Joa and cemetery towers. The Parra Cross, a Christian symbol brought to Cuba by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage, is kept inside a glass case, atop a silver pedestal, in the city.

In the early 19th century, numerous French planters who had fled Haiti’s revolution settled in Baracoa and devoted themselves to growing coffee and cocoa. Hence the French influence discernible in the city and many other parts of the province.

As efforts by Cuban patriots seeking Cuba’s independence intensified in the mid 19th century, Baracoa’s coasts became the disembarkation point for many of the independence movement’s expeditions. On April 1, 1895, following the outbreak of Cuba’s War of Independence, an expedition, made up by some of the most prestigious figures of this struggle (including Antonio Maceo) landed at Duababeach, very near Baracoa. Some days later, on April 11, General Máximo Gómez and José Martí, disembarked at Playitas.

In addition to its natural and historic charm, the region also boasts some rather peculiar dishes, such as Bacán, made from green plantains wrapped in their leaves and Cucurucho, a kind of jelly made from coconut, oranges and pineapples and served in a royal-palm-leaf cone