UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Cuba

UNESCO's Description

Commercial and political rivalries in the Caribbean region in the 17th century resulted in the construction of this massive series of fortifications on a rocky promontory, built to protect the important port of Santiago. This intricate complex of forts, magazines, bastions and batteries is the most complete, best-preserved example of Spanish-American military architecture, based on Italian and Renaissance design principles.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

A ravelin and battery were constructed at the site between 1590 and 1610, to protect the town of Santiago de Cuba. A larger fort was designed in the early 1600s by Battista Antonelli (also known as Juan Battista Antonelli), a member of a Milanese family of military engineers, on behalf of the governor of the city, Pedro de la Roca de Borja, as a defense against raiding pirates. Antonelli's design was adapted to the location of the fortress on the steep sides of the promontory (the morro from which the fortress gets its name) reaching into the bay. It was constructed on a series of terraces; there were four main levels and three large bulwarks to house the artillery.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q910189 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

Desembarco del Granma National Park, with its uplifted marine terraces and associated ongoing development of karst topography and features, represents a globally significant example of geomorphologic and physiographic features and ongoing geological processes. The area, which is situated in and around Cabo Cruz in south-east Cuba, includes spectacular terraces and cliffs, as well as some of the most pristine and impressive coastal cliffs bordering the western Atlantic.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Description

Desembarco del Granma National Park is located on the western end of the Sierra Maestra range, along the tectonically active zone between the North American Plate and Caribbean Plate. It conserves a series of limestone terraces that range from 180 meters below sea level to 360 meters above. These terraces were likely formed due to tectonic uplift and fluctuations in sea level due to past climate change and glaciation events during the Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene. These terraces are among the largest and best preserved in the world. In addition, the park protects many other karst features including waterfalls, cliffs, sinkholes, and caves.

The park is located in a warm, semi-arid climate, receiving between 300 and 1200 mm of rain a year and averaging 26°C.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q909755 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

The remains of the 19th-century coffee plantations in the foothills of the Sierra Maestra are unique evidence of a pioneer form of agriculture in a difficult terrain. They throw considerable light on the economic, social, and technological history of the Caribbean and Latin American region.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

French colonizers established coffee plantations in the 18th century on the island of Hispaniola, but the independence of Haiti in 1804 caused them to flee to Cuba, which was then under Spanish rule. During the 19th century, many coffee plantations were established across the Sierra Maestra, but they were unable to compete with the coffee plantations of Brazil, Colombia, and Costa Rica in the early 20th century, and gradually declined. Today, only a few coffee plantations are still in operation.

Description

The plantations are in different states of preservation, from the Cafetal Isabelica, which is fully restored, so some that are completely ruined. However, they all follow a similar layout. In the center of the plantation is the owner's residence, generally built in the style of Basque architecture, adapted for a tropical climate. Surrounding the owner's house were the slave quarters, made of flimsy wood and roofed with branches and leaves. Each plantation also includes a terraced drying floor ('secadero') for coffee bean preparation and other buildings for milling and roasting.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q636714 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

The colonial town of Cienfuegos was founded in 1819 in the Spanish territory but was initially settled by immigrants of French origin. It became a trading place for sugar cane, tobacco and coffee. Situated on the Caribbean coast of southern-central Cuba at the heart of the country’s sugar cane, mango, tobacco and coffee production area, the town first developed in the neoclassical style. It later became more eclectic but retained a harmonious overall townscape. Among buildings of particular interest are the Government Palace (City Hall), San Lorenzo School, the Bishopric, the Ferrer Palace, the former lyceum, and some residential houses. Cienfuegos is the first, and an outstanding example of an architectural ensemble representing the new ideas of modernity, hygiene and order in urban planning as developed in Latin America from the 19th century.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

While visited by Columbus in 1494, the area was first settled by pirates and freebooters beginning in the 1600s. Early settlers, often referred to as "buccaneers", raised cattle and made jerky to supply to the privateers and others who sought refuge in the bay. By 1740 they were raising tobacco as well.

In 1742 King Philip V of Spain built Fort Jagua to suppress the pirates' use of Cienfuegos Bay. The city was formally founded on 22 April 1819 by French and Spanish settlers under the command of Don Luis De Clouet y Favrot. The streets were laid out essentially north–south, east–west, forming square blocks. Today, the city centre still retains eclectic architecture from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, much with neoclassical decoration.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q8343758 (CC0).