Cuba - Lonely Planet [288]
To learn more about the militaristic deeds of Holguín’s local hero, head to the Casa Natal de Calixto García (Map; 42-56-10; Miró No 147; admission CUC$1; 9am-9pm Tue-Sat), situated two blocks east of the park. The hugely underestimated García – who stole the cities of Las Tunas, Holguín and Bayamo from Spanish control between 1896 and 1898 – was born here in 1839 and this small collection gives a reasonable overview of his life.
On the park’s northern side is the Museo de Historia Provincial (Map; 46-33-95; Frexes No 198; admission CUC$1; 8am-5pm). Now a national monument, the building was constructed between 1860 and 1868 and used as a Spanish army barracks during the independence wars. It was nicknamed La Periquera (parrot cage) for the red, yellow and green uniforms of the Spanish soldiers who stood guard outside. The prize exhibit is an old axe-head carved in the likeness of a man, known as the Hacha de Holguín (Holguín Axe), thought to have been made by indigenous inhabitants in the early 1400s and discovered in 1860. Looking even sharper in its polished glass case is a sword that once belonged to national hero and poet, José Martí.
In the southwestern corner of Parque Calixto García is the Centro Provincial de Artes Plásticas Moncada (Map; 42-23-92; Maceo No 180; admission free; 9am-4pm Mon-Sat), a bright gallery that shares space with Biblioteca Alex Urquiola (Map; 46-25-62; Maceo No 180), named after a local revolutionary and housing Holguín’s biggest book collection.
The Museo de Historia Natural (Map; 42-39-35; Maceo No 129 btwn Parques Calixto García & Peralta; admission/camera CUC$1/1; 9am-10pm Tue-Sat, 9am-9pm Sun) has more stuffed animals than a New York toy store – everything from the world’s smallest frog to the world’s smallest hummingbird.
PARQUE PERALTA
This square (called Parque de las Flores locally) is named for General Julio Grave de Peralta (1834–72), who led an uprising against Spain in Holguín in October 1868. His marble statue (1916) faces the cathedral. Dazzling white and characterized by its twin domed towers, the Catedral de San Isidoro (Map; Manduley) dates from 1720 and was one of the town’s original constructions. Added piecemeal over the years, the towers are of 20th-century vintage and in 1979 it became a cathedral. A hyper-realistic statue of Pope Jean Paul II stands to the right of the main doors.
PLAZA DE LA MARQUETA
Long earmarked for major renovation, hopelessly ruined Plaza de la Marqueta is a plaza of possibilities that have, so far, remained unfulfilled. Laid out in 1848 and rebuilt in 1918, the square is dominated by an impressive covered marketplace that is supposed to be undergoing a transformation into a top-notch concert hall (after nearly a decade of rumors, the work has yet to start). Running along the north and south sides of the plaza are myriad shops that are meant to provide quality shopping but, at the time of writing, only a couple of music and cigar outlets were open and even they were poorly stocked (see Shopping, Click here). For the time being the most interesting sights are the telephone poles turned into totems that anchor the plaza’s corners and the numerous bronze statues of well-known Holguiñeros that decorate the sidewalks.
BEYOND THE CENTER
At the northern end of Maceo is a stairway built in 1950, with 465 steps ascending La Loma de la Cruz (Map), a 275m-high hill with panoramic views. A cross was raised here in 1790 in hope of relieving a drought, and every May 3 during Romerías de Mayo devotees climb to the summit where a special Mass is held. It’s a 20-minute walk from town or you can flag a bici-taxi to the foot of the hill for around 10 pesos. This walk is best tackled early in the morning when the light is pristine and the heat not too debilitating.
Holguín is a city most fiel (faithful), and the Plaza de la Revolución (Map) east of the center is a huge monument to the heroes of Cuban independence, bearing quotations from José Mart