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Banes, Cuba

Explore the city of Banes in the province of Holguín and fall in love with the true essence of Cuba

Banes, Cuba
© Jack K.....ski

Banes, a city and a municipality located in the province of Holguín, gathers together the essence of a 100% Cuban town where the lack of masses of people help you to fully enjoy your visit in a peaceful environment.

Banes
© Bert Cozens

In spite of little tourism, Banes is no ordinary place. This place is significant thanks to the historical events that took place in splendid spots found in the area. This area, called natively Baní, was one of the first inhabited areas in the island by Taino Indians and, because of that, it is one of the abundant archaeological sites in Cuba. The Museo Indocubano Baní (Baní Indo-Cuban Museum) is the most significant of its kind in the island, as many native archaeological items of great value are preserved there.

It was one of the last places inhabited by native people, possibly due to late settlement of the colony/community in the area. In the 17th and 18th centuries more people came to Banes and afterwards in the 19th century the whole place flourished greatly. A good example of that is the arrival of important businessmen, such as the Dumois brothers dedicated to banana cultivation that brought the first locomotive to the area, “El Panchito”.

In the Guerra del 95 (Cuban War of Independence) the municipality helped the Mambí army a lot and in 1897 the city was burned in an act of rebelliousness creating an idyllic place for many military tasks via flight of many families. When the war was over and the American had started their intervention the United Fruit Company settled in Banes, although the village got autonomy in 1910 with high anti-imperialist awareness.

More recently, Banes is known for the birthplace of the Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista and for having celebrated the wedding of his main opponent and successor Fidel Castro at the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad (Nuestra Señora de la Caridad Church).

In 2008, the Ike hurricane went through the city destroying 70% of the buildings. However, the locality knows how to repair itself quickly and nowadays it is an astonishing town reflecting the real Cuban spirit: something you will not find in any resort.

One of its Consejos Populares (People’s Assemblies), Guardalavaca, has gained popularity more recently due to many new hotel complexes opened on the first line of the beach. The tourism offer is packed with activities and many people choose this place for their holidays, as it is not easy to say no to all inclusive packages of the resorts and the mind-boggling beaches this place has.

The festivity ambience is always in the air in Banes and many festivals take place in the area, although the most outstanding without a doubt is the Carnaval de las Golondrinas in the beginning of November where the music, stands and bars fill the streets as well as the Miss Golondrina contest takes place among the tourists.

Interactive map:

Holguín