Santiago de Cuba is located on the south-east of the island, some 540 miles east south-east of Havana, at 20.01°N, 75.82°W. Historically Santiago de Cuba has long been the second most important city on the island after Havana, although is no longer the second largest. It is on a bay connected to the Caribbean Sea and is an important sea port. In 2003 greater Santiago de Cuba had a population of about 500,000 people.
History
Santiago de Cuba was founded by Spanishconquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar on June 28, 1514. From 1522 until 1589 Santiago was the capital of the Spanish colony of Cuba.
The city experienced an influx of French immigrants in the late 18th century and early 19th century, some coming via Haiti. This added to the city's eclectic cultural mix, already rich with Spanish and African culture.
Until a rearrangement of province boundries in 1976, Santiago de Cuba was the capital of Cuba's Oriente Province.
Santiago de Cuba is Havana's rival in literature, music and politics, and is regarded as the 'cradle of the revolution' because of the pivotal role it played in overthrowing the Fulgencio Batista regime.
Santiago de Cuba was founded in 1514 by Diego Velázquez, first governor of Cuba; it was moved a few miles to the present site in 1522.
Santiago de Cuba was a focal point of the Spanish-American War, and many reminders of that conflict are found in the area.
The Capital of Santiago de Cuba Province, which has one of the first seven settlements that the Europeans founded in Cuba early in the 16th century, is one of the most pitoresque on the island.
Moreover, Santiago de Cuba city with the greatest Caribbean flavor and Cartagena, Colombia, are the only Latin American cities to have recieved the Golden Apple Award presented by the International Federation of Travel Writers and Journalists (FIJET) in recognation of their exceptionally high quality and excellent conditions as tourist destination.
Santiago's Carnival is the most famous in Cuba, and this small museum, in one of the oldest houses on Calle Heredia, aims to give visitors some historical perspective.
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