Cuba Guide
Santiago de Cuba
Parque Céspedes and around
Address: Central Santiago
The spiritual centre of Santiago is without a doubt charismatic Parque Céspedes. Originally the Plaza de Armas, the first square laid out by the conquistadors, it is more of a plaza than a park, its plants and shrubs neatly hemmed into small flowerbeds, and wrought-iron benches evenly spaced along smart red and grey flagstones. There's a gentle ebb and flow of activity as sightseers wander through the park between museum visits, and old folk sit enjoying the expansive shade of the weeping fig trees and watching the hustlers size up the tourists. Often, there will be a brass and percussion band playing, which draws a crowd irrespective of the time of day. Unfortunately, the engaging nineteenth-century tradition of the evening promenade, which saw gentlemen perambulating the park in one direction, ladies in the other, coquettishly flirting as they passed, has been replaced in recent years by a less attractive influx of Western men on the prowl for jineteras. The park is known as a favourite pick-up point, although legislation has kept the trade underground.
The rooftop bar at the picturesque Hotel Casa Granda on the park's east side provides a fantastic place to admire the sunset as well as the surrounding sights, while the hotel's balcony bar is a great place to people-watch over a tall glass of fresh lemonade. Next door to the hotel is the Casa de Cultura (daily 9am–6pm), housed in an exquisite nineteenth-century building that begs a visit if only to admire the romantic decay inside.
On the south side, a small monument celebrates the park's namesake, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, one of the first Cubans to take up arms against the Spanish, issuing the Grito de Yara (cry of Yara) and urging his slaves and his comrades to arm themselves. Splendid buildings surround the park on all sides.