Día Nueve - Santiago & route to Baracoa

We started our morning learning about the Afro-Cuban culture. We met with Dr. Martha Cordes Jackson. She informed us of how the African people, cultures and religion arrived to Cuba. The details of the development of the buniting of people of different ethical origins. They united through religion and music. In 1959, when the revolution ended all Cubans regardless of race or religion were considered equal. Even with these laws in place, the ideas of racial discrimination live in the mind of the individual and after 400 plus years of persecution it has been a slow transition over the past 60 years. Similar to the U.S.  

After our discussion we headed on a tour of important monuments in Santiago. First stop was the San Juan Hills. 

Second stop was the Plaza of the Revolution of Santiago. The man pictured on the horse is Antonio Maceo and all of the machetes coming out of the ground represent all the wounds he received and continued on. The date July 26 on the flag was Fidel's code for the start of the revolution. 

Third we visited a school that had been a fort. It is the fort that Fidel stormed against Batista's forces. After realizing his forces were weak, Fidel and about 30 men fled to the forrest. A man named Sarria was hired to kill Fidel but only captured him (this man later became the head of his bodyguards.) This is when Fidel was  prosecuted and sentenced to 15 years, of which he served 1.5 years and made the famous statement defending himself, "History will absolve me." He later fled to Mexico and came back with Che on the Granma to start the revolution. 

^ Note the bullet holes. 

Lastly, we visited the Castillo del Morro, an old Spanish fortress. 

Then we were off to Baracoa! Stop 1 was at a look out point. From this point you can see the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. 

We arrived to Baracoa!  A beautiful little town on the coast with some charm!

A full day in Baracoa tomorrow! 

¡Hasta mañana!