Holguin

Holguin is called the city of parks because its centre is a chain of squares one after another, connected by walking streets: Parque Calixto García with the provincial museum on it, Parque Céspedes and Parque Peralta each with a church. North of the centre the Loma de la Cruz rises over the city and is climbed by four hundred and fifty-eight steps to a cross and a viewing terrace. It is a working provincial city rather than a tourist one, and it is the gateway for the coast.

History

Before Columbus, the Taíno lived in the Holguín area in huts of royal palm, and their artefacts are shown in the city's La Periquera museum. The Spanish town was founded in 1523 on land that Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar gave to Captain Francisco García Holguín, who added his mother's surname to the name and called it San Isidoro de Holguín. In September 2015 Pope Francis visited the Diocese of Holguín, among other things to mark the place where Columbus landed (Wikipedia, Holguín).

Highlights

• The chain of squares - three connected parks running through the centre, each with its own character.
• Loma de la Cruz - a hill climbed by 458 steps for the view over the city and the plain.
• La Periquera - the provincial museum in a colonial building on the main square.
• The Mayabe viewpoint - a hillside outside town with a view over the valley.

When to go

November to April is the dry season. The Romerias de Mayo festival in early May fills the city with music and processions to the hilltop cross. Summer is hot with little breeze this far inland.

Before you go

There is not a great deal for visitors and most people pass through on the way to the coast. Museums keep unreliable hours. The stairway up the Loma is exposed and best climbed early or late.

Nearby

Gibara is on the coast to the north and Guardalavaca is northeast.

Key facts