20°19′58.6″N, 74°28′24.9″W

A cabin in the hills near Baracoa

Baracoa is a city in Guantánamo Province in extreme eastern Cuba. It was founded by the first governor of Cuba, the Spanish conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar in 1511, which makes it not only the oldest Spanish settlement in Cuba but also its first capital (and gives it the nickname Ciudad Primada, "First City"). It is located on the spot where Christopher Columbus landed in Cuba on his first voyage. It is thought that the name stems from the indigenous Arauaca language word meaning "the presence of the sea." Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1068x409, 21 KB) Summary Location of Baracoa, Cuba Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Baracoa ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1068x409, 21 KB) Summary Location of Baracoa, Cuba Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Baracoa ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 279 KB)Photograph by Dirk van der Made (user:DirkvdM). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 279 KB)Photograph by Dirk van der Made (user:DirkvdM). ... ... Conquistador (Spanish: []) (meaning Conqueror in the Spanish language) is the term used to refer to the soldiers, explorers and adventurers who brought much of the Americas and Asia Pacific under Spanish colonial rule between the 15th and 17th centuries, starting with the 1492 settlement established in the modern-day Bahamas... Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar (1465 – 1524) was a Spanish conquistador. ... 1511 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Christopher Columbus (Genoa?, Italy, 1451? – Valladolid, Spain, May 20, 1506) was a navigator and maritime explorer credited as the discoverer of the Americas. ...

Baracoa lies on the Bay of Honey (Bahía de Miel) and is surrounded by a wide mountain range (including the Sierra del Purial), which causes it to be quite isolated, apart from a single mountain road built in the 1960s. The Himalaya as seen from the International Space Station A mountain range is a group of mountains bordered by lowlands or separated from other mountain ranges by passes or rivers. ...

History

The original inhabitants of the island were Taíno. They were eradicated by the Spanish all over Cuba except here and this is the only place where descendants still live. A local hero is Hatuey, who fled from the Spanish in Hispaniola and raised a Taíno army to fight the Spanish in Cuba. According to the story Hatuey was betrayed by a member of his group and sentenced to burn at the stake. It is said that just before he died a Catholic priest tried to convert him so he would attain salvation; Hatuey asked the priest if Heaven was the place where the dead Spanish go. When he received an answer in the affirmative he told the priest that he'd rather go to Hell. The reconstruction of Taino village, Cuba The Taíno are pre-Colombian indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and some of the Lesser Antilles. ... Hatuey was a Taíno chief who lived on the island of Hispaniola in the early sixteenth century. ... Early map of Hispaniola The island of Hispaniola (from Spanish, La Española) is the second-largest island of the Antilles, lying between the islands of Cuba to the west, and Puerto Rico to the east. ... Burning of two sodomites at the stake outside Zürich, 1482 (Spiezer Schilling) Execution by burning has a long history as a method of punishment for crimes such as treason and for other unpopular acts such as heresy and the putative practice of witchcraft (burning, however, was actually less common... Catholic deacon candidates prostrate before the altar of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles during a 2004 diaconate ordination liturgy Holy Orders in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, Assyrian, Old Catholic, and Independent Catholic churches includes three orders: bishop, priest, and deacon. ... In theology, salvation can mean three related things: freed forever from the punishment of sin Revelation 1:5-6 NRSV - also called deliverance;[1] being saved for something, such as an afterlife or participating in the Reign of God Revelation 1:6 NRSV - also called redemption;[2]) and a process... Heaven is a concept found in many religions or spiritual philosophies, typically described as the Holiest place, accessible according to standards of divinity (goodness, etc. ... Medieval illustration of Hell in the Hortus deliciarum manuscript of Herrad of Landsberg (about 1180) A hell, according to many religious beliefs, is an afterlife of suffering where the wicked or unrighteous dead are punished. ...

Cruz de Parra

On 27 October 1492, Christopher Columbus landed in Cuba in a place he named Porto Santo. It is generally assumed from his description that this was Baracoa, although there are also claims it was Gibara. But Columbus also described a nearby table mountain, which is almost certainly nearby el Yunque. He wrote in his logbook ... the most beautiful place in the world ...I heard the birds sing that they will never ever leave this place.... According to legend, Columbus put a cross called Cruz de la Parra in the sands of what would later become Baracoa harbor. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2304x1728, 774 KB) Summary Cruz de la Parra City:Baracoa, Country:Cuba, Autor:San Roman, Jorge E. Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Baracoa Metadata This... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2304x1728, 774 KB) Summary Cruz de la Parra City:Baracoa, Country:Cuba, Autor:San Roman, Jorge E. Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Baracoa Metadata This... October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... Not to be confused with 1492: Conquest of Paradise. ... Christopher Columbus (Genoa?, Italy, 1451? – Valladolid, Spain, May 20, 1506) was a navigator and maritime explorer credited as the discoverer of the Americas. ... , Gibara (or Jibara, once Punta del Yarey and Yarey de Gibara), a north-coast city of Holguín Province, Cuba, 80 m. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Around 15 August 1511 (the official foundation day) Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar was appointed the first governor of Cuba and built a villa here and named the place 'Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Baracoa', thus making Baracoa the first capital of Cuba. In 1518 it received the title of city and the first Cuban bishop was appointed here. As a result several remains of the Spanish occupation can still be seen here, such as the fortifications El Castillo, Matachín and La Punta and the cemetery. August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... 1511 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar (1465 – 1524) was a Spanish conquistador. ... Events A plague of tropical fire ants devastates crops on Hispaniola. ... The city of Chicago, as seen from the sky The main square of the Catalan city of Sabadell during a popular celebration. ...

In the 16th and 17th centuries the isolated location made it a haven for illegal trade with the French and English. At the beginning of the 19th century many French fled here from the revolution of independence in Haiti, who started growing coffee and cocoa. Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ...

Mount "El Yunque" on Baracoa bay

From the middle of the 19th century many expeditions of independence fighters landed here (including Antonio Maceo and José Martí) which greatly helped the independence from Spain in 1902. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2982x1621, 684 KB) Summary El Yunque, Baracoa bay City:Baracoa, Country:Cuba, Autor:San Roman, Jorge E. Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Baracoa Metadata This... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2982x1621, 684 KB) Summary El Yunque, Baracoa bay City:Baracoa, Country:Cuba, Autor:San Roman, Jorge E. Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Baracoa Metadata This... This biographical article needs to be wikified. ... José Julián Martí Pérez (January 28, 1853 – May 19, 1895) was a leader of the Cuban independence movement as well as a renowned poet and writer. ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Before the Cuban Revolution the only access was by sea, but in the 1960's a 120 km long road from Guantánamo named La Farola was built through the mountains, which was one of the showcases of the revolution. The road had already been planned by the Batista government, but never got built. The highest point of the road is at over 600 m and it passes 11 bridges. The Cuban Revolution refers to the revolutionary war in Cuba culminating in the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista’s government on January 1, 1959 by the 26th of July Movement and other revolutionary elements in the country. ... Map of Cuba with the location of Guantanamo Bay indicated Guantanamo (Spanish spelling: Guantánamo) is a city in southeast Cuba, capital of the Guantánamo Province. ...

After the Cuban Revolution the brothers Raul and Fidel Castro and Che Guevara allegedly spent a holiday here in hotel 'La Russa'. The Cuban Revolution refers to the revolutionary war in Cuba culminating in the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista’s government on January 1, 1959 by the 26th of July Movement and other revolutionary elements in the country. ... Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz (born June 3, 1931) is the First Vice President of the Cuban Council of State and currently, Acting President of Cuba. ... Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born on August 13, 1926) is the current President of Cuba but on indefinite medical hiatus. ... Ernesto Guevara de la Serna (June 14[1], 1928 – October 9, 1967), commonly known as Che Guevara or El Che, was an Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary, political figure, and leader of Cuban and internationalist guerrillas. ...

Economy

The main products in the region are banana, coconut and cacao. It is Cuba's main chocolate manufacturing area. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Binomial name Cocos nucifera L. For other uses, see Coconut (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Theobroma cacao L. Cacao (Theobroma cacao) is a small (4–8 m tall) evergreen tree in the family Sterculiaceae (alternatively Malvaceae), native to tropical Mexico, but now cultivated throughout the tropics. ...

Gastronomy

Baracoa has some very typical dishes, such as Cucurucho, a mix of coconut and lots of sugar and other ingredients like orange, guava and pineapple and wrapped in a palm leaf. Another is Bacán, which is made from bananas and wrapped in a banana leaf. And of course there is lots of chocolate in this cocoa producing region. CHOCOLATE IS VERY NICE! Chocolate most commonly comes in dark, milk, and white varieties, with cocoa solids contributing to the brown coloration. ...

Tourism

The remote location at the eastern end of the Cuban island has kept the influence of mass tourism quite low, despite the idyllic location. Baracoa can be reached by bus from Santiago de Cuba (2 hours) or by plane from Havana (2 hours). Santiago de Cuba is the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in eastern Cuba. ... Nickname: Ciudad de las Columnas Position of Havana in Cuba Coordinates: Country Cuba Province Ciudad de La Habana Founded 1515  - Mayor Juan Contino Aslán Area    - City 721. ...

To the east the Fuerte Matachín (built in 1802) houses a museum (with lots of colourful Polimita snail shells among other things) and further east is a beach at the mouth of the river Miel. To the west the fuerte La Punta (built in 1803) houses a restaurant, with a smaller beach next to it. And the third fort, El Castillo, on a steep hill with a commanding view of the town and both bays, is now Hotel El Castillo. The three other hotels in Baracoa are Hotel Porto Santo, Hotel La Rusa and Hostal La Habanera. There are also a few casas particulares. The Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Asunción houses the remains of the Cruz de la Parra, a cross that Columbus is supposed to have brought from Spain. Although it has been carbondated to approximately that period, it is made from a local woodtype, which means at least part of the story is not correct. --69. ... 1803 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Casa particular (Spanish for private house; plural casas particulares) is a phrase meaning private accommodation or private homestays in Cuba, very similar to bed and breakfast although it can also take the form of vacation rental. ...

There are two music venues near the central Parque Independencia, the touristy Casa de la Cultura and the more traditional Casa de la Trova.

Nearby are the rivers Miel and Toa, the latter of which has many waterfalls, the best known of which is 'el Saltadero', which is 17 m high.

The 575 m high table mountain el Yunque (the anvil) is 10 km to the west of Baracoa. It is a remnant of a plateau and because of its isolation it houses several unique species of ferns and palms. The only official and easiest approach to climb it starts at campismo El Yunque (simple lodgings for Cubans only), where a guide is obligatory (about 15 euro). Table Mountain is a mountain in the Western Cape, South Africa, overlooking the greater Cape Town area. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

From Baracoa, it is possible to visit the Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt located about 20 kilometers north. Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt is a national park in the Cuban provinces of Holguín and Guantánamo. ...

A view of Baracoa across the bay.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1489x400, 119 KB) Baracoa, Cuba Author: Michael Oswald Time: January 12, 2005 Camera: Canon Powershot G3 File links The following pages link to this file: Baracoa Image:Baracoa across bay. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1489x400, 119 KB) Baracoa, Cuba Author: Michael Oswald Time: January 12, 2005 Camera: Canon Powershot G3 File links The following pages link to this file: Baracoa Image:Baracoa across bay. ...

Trivia

• There is a small town in Honduras known as Baracoa, it is located south of Puerto Cortes and north of Choloma.

Puerto Cortés is a city in the Cortés department of Honduras. ... Choloma is a municipality in the Honduran department of Cortés. ...

External links

Cuba Portal