Aguardiente: Cane brandy

Alliance Française: This cultural center is located at Calle 6 No 253 at Calle 11 in Vista Alegre in Santiago de Cuba. It is open weekdays 8:30 am to 8 pm, Saturday 9 am to noon. It is a French cultural center with photo exhibitions and a French library.

Alto del Naranjo: A place in the Province of Granma, Manzanillo.

Americano: In Spanish, this means a citizen of Western Hemisphere country (from Canada to Argentina), a citizen of the USA is called norteameriaco or estadounmense.

ANAP: Associacíon Nacional de Agricultores Pequeños, an association of small private farmers.

Antiguo Cafetal Angerona: This place has been preserved as a museum. It is 17 km west of Artemesia on the road to Cayajabos and the Autopista de Pinar del Río. Angerona was erected between 1813 and 1820 by Cornelio Sauchay, who had 450 slaves tending 750, 000 coffee plants.

Antiguo Carcel Provincial: Here is west of Aguilera from Parque Céspedes, Santiago de Cuba. It was built in 1906 at No 131. Fidel Castro and other rebels were incarcerated here immediately after the 1953 Moncada attack.

Antonio Maceo: A famous general who fought in both wars of independence. He was born in this early 19^th century house on June 14, 1845. In his 1878 Protest of Baraguá, Maceo rejected any compromise with the colonial authorities and went into exile after further combat. During the 1895 war he was second in command (after Máximo Gómez) and died fighting in western Cuba in 1896.

Arawak Indians: A type of Indians who have been living in Cuba for very long.

Arbol de la Paz: This is a huge ceiba tree which is near to the Parque Zoológico. It is surrounded by cannons and an iron fence. Beneath the goughs of this tree Santiago de Cuba's Spanish garrison surrendered two weeks after the Battle of San Juan Hill.

Arroba: An antiquated measurement  representing about 25 Spanish pounds.

Artemisa: A town which is 60 km southwest of Havana. It is a bustling town of 35, 000 in a lush sugarcane growing area.

Audiencia: A court representing the Spanish crown in colonial times.

Babalawo: A santería priest, also called babalao.

Bacardí Rum Factory: A liquor factory founded by the Bacardí family in 1838, but after the revolution the Bacardí moved from Avenida Jesús Menéndez to Puerto Rico, taking the Bacardí patent with them and the Santiago de Cuba product was named Ron Caney.

Bahía Honda: Northern Pinar del Río Province is an alternative transit route to/from Havana. A scenic road winds along a ridge with many sea views over the cane fields, pine forests, tobacco fields and banana plantation. Rice paddies lie in the river valleys and you pass a succession of picturesque thatched farmhouses. In 1901, when the US was trying to decide whether Cuba was worthy of independence, there were congressional calls for Bahía Honda to be seized for use as a US Naval Base. Luckily the Americans settled for Guantánamo alone.

Balneario San Diego: This is a modern bathing complex, located in San Diefo de los Baños (Pinar del Río), where thermal waters of 30°C to 40°C are used to treat muscular and skin affliction. Mud from the mouth of the Río San Diego is used here in beauty treatments. The sulfurous waters of these mineral springs are potent and immersions of only 15 minutes per day are allowed. The baths are open Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 5 pm, Sunday 8 am to noon. Fifteen minutes in the collective bath costs US$4; a private 15-minute bath is US$16. Massage is available at US$15 and many other health facilities are among the finest and most accessible of their kind in Cuba.

Batey: Originally an open space in the center of an Indian village; later adopted to refer to a group of service buildings around a sugar mill.

Bauta: A provincial capital in Mariel, Havana, which stretches along the old highway to Pinar del Río. The town offers nothing to travelers other than a few places to stay.

Bay of Pigs: It is also known as Bahía de Cochinos. It is located in Playa Girón, Matanzas. From south across the peninsular from Boca de Guamá, is this famous Bay of Pigs.

Bayamesa: This is a poem written by Perucho Figueredo in 1868. It commemorates the people who died during the war then.

Bayamo: In 1975, Bayamo (population 130, 000) became capital of Granma Province and it remains a surprisingly untouristed place with no kids hassling you for chewing gums and no panhandlers.

Biblioteca Provincial Julio A Mella: This is a library on the west side of Parque Agramonte, Camagüey.

Bohío: Thatched hut.

Caballería: An antiquited Spanish measurement representing about 13.4 hectares.

Cabildo: A town council during the colonial era.

Cacique: Chief (originally used to described an Indian chief and today used to designate a petty tyrant).

Caleta Buena: This is a lovely protected cove perfect for snorkeling with abundant coral and fish. It is 8 km southeast of Playa Girón.

Camagüey: This is the largest of the 14 provinces in Cuba. She occupies a 15, 990 square km chunk of central Cuba between Ciego de Ávila and Las Tunas Provinces. It was even bigger until 1975, when Cuba's political/administrative reorganization sliecd away Ciego de Ávula and a bit of Las Tunas.

Camarera: Housekepper (the Spanish term criada, which means 'brought up', is considered offensive in revolutionary Cuba).

Campismo El Salto: This camping motel is five km north of Guane and has no phone. It is a pretty location next to the Río Los Portales at the southwest end of the Cordillera de Guaniguanico. It is right below a high hill with hiking trails to various caves. Each of the 46 individual cabins at El Salto has a private bath but no air-con or fan. It is all very basic but adequate for hikers, campers and cyclists. To be guaranteed easy admittance, reserve ahead through the Campismo Popular office in Pinar del Río. Unless you are lucky enough to find a taxi or hitch a ride, you will have to walk the six km from the train station in Guane.

Carlos Manuel de Céspedes: (1819 – 1874) Buried in the Cementerio Santa Ifigenia. He and his followers arrived at Yara on October 11, 1868 and fought their first battle against the Spanish. The story is inscribed on a monument on Yara's main square.

Carpeta: A hotel reception area.

Carretera Panamericana: Southwest of the city of Pinar del Río is the picturesque tobacco-growing area around the town of San Juan y Martínez. Several inexpensive local beach resorts are on the Bahía de Cortés and a budget mountain resort is at El Salto just north of Guane. To the west is the freshwater Embalse Laguna Grande stocked with largemouth bass.

Casa de Estrada Palma: This is less known Bayamo sight, Céspedes No 158. Cuba's first president was born here in 1835, but he is now considered a corrupt American puppet, so this building is not marked on the regular tourists maps. Next door is the place where a forerunner of the national anthem was sung for the first time on March 27, 1851.

Casa de la Cultura: This cultural center is at General Lacret No 651 at Aguilera on Parque Céspedes. It hosts a 'Oches de la Terraza' dance on Saturday and Sunday nights. Admission fee is US$4 per person.

Casa del Caribe: Around the corner at Calle 13 No 154 in Santiago de Cuba is this place where you can buy books on Cuban culture, including the Casa's own magazine, Del Caribe. The Casa del Caribe was founded in 1982 to study Caribbean life and each year it organizes the Festival of Caribbean Culture. The Promotor Cultural inside the building can arrange mini-courses with tutors experienced in most aspects of Cuban culture, including Afro-Cuban religions and popular music and dance.

Casa del Marisco: This place is directly across the highway from the Cueva del Indio entrance, has two rooms for rent at US$16 single or double. Both have a mini-fridge, but only one of the rooms has a private bath. The contact number is 9-3202.

Casa Don Miguel: This restaurant only take in dollars. Located in Gerardo Medina No 108, Pinar del Río, a pork meal here costs about US$3 and fish dishes US$5. There is no written menu and it is rather touristy.

Casa Museo de Frank y Josue País: This museum is located at No 226 in Santiago de Cuba. Just head east five blocks on Los Maceos and south on General Banderas to No 226. The exhibits tell the story about the Frank's musder by the police on July 30, 1957. It is open from Monday to Saturday 9 am to 5 pm. The admission fee is US$1.

Castillo de Jagua: This place is on the west side of the narrow mouth of the Bahía de Cienguegos. It was designed by José Tontete in 1738 and completed in 1745 (long before the city of Cienfuegos was founded). The original purpose was to deny the bay to pirates who had been using it as a refuge.

Castillo de San Pedro del Morro: Most visitors arrive this castle by taxi, rental car, motorcycle or private car. The castle stands dramatically on a 60-meter-highbluff on the east side of the harbor entrance, 10 km southwest of town via Carretera del Morro (which passes the airport access road). It is open weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm, weekends 8 am to 4 pm. The admission fee is US$1.

Catedral de San Rosendo: This late 19^th century cathedral is located in Maceo No 52 Oeste at Ormani Arenado, Pinar del Río. It is open on weekdays 8:30 am to 5 pm, Saturday 8:30 am to noon. The admission fee is US$0m50. The cathedral exhibits the life of this revolutionary from the 1930s.

Cayo Granma: At the south of the center of Santiago de Cuba, on the way to the castle itself, you can take the ten-centavo ferry across to this place for a picturesque little island of red-roofed dwellings just inside Bahía de Santiago de Cuba.

Cayo Levisa: This small coral key off the north side of Pinar del Río is part of the Archipiélago de los Colorados, which sits in the Gulf of Mexico. It is known for its white coral beaches, thick mangroves, abundant seabirds and seas rich in red snapper, sea bass, lobster, marlin and other species. Recently an exclusive tourist resort has been built on the island. From the early 1940s, American author Ernest Hemingway had a fishing camp on Cayo Paraíso, a smaller coral island 10 km east of Cayo Levisa.

CDR: Comités de Defensa de la Revolución; neighbourhood bodies originally formed in 1960 to consolidate grassroots suppor for the revolution. Later these played a decisive role in health, education, social and voluntary labor campaigns.

Cementerio Santa Ifigenia: A cemetery which is off Avenida Crombet one km northwest of the distillery. It has been in use since 1868 and many of the natable figures in Cuban history are buried here. They are Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Emilio Bacardí y Moreau, the mother and widow of Antonio Maceo, Frank País, and those who died during the attack on the Moncada Barracks in 1953 etc.

Central: A modern sugar mill.

Centro Cultural Africano Fernando Ortiz: This exhibition center is located at Avenida Manduley No 1-6. It contains an exhibition of artifacts from Africa. It is open from Monday to Saturday 9 am to 5 pm. Admission fee is US$1.

Centro Provincial de Artes Plásticas Galería: This is a gallery in Pinar del Río, near the Fábrica de Tobacos Francisco Donatien. It is open weekdays 8 am to noon and 1 pm to 7 pm, Saturday 8 am to noon and 1 to 5 pm. The admission is free. The gallery presents art exhibits of local interest.

Centro Urbano Abel Santamaría: This is large housing estate with row after row of prefabricated four-story apartment blocks assembled by volunteer microbrigades during the 1970s. It is three km east of San Juan Hill on the way to the Gran Piedra and Baconao in Santiago de Cuba.

Chequeré: A gourd covered with beads to form a rattle.

Cigars: In the early 1500s, the Spaniards started to grow leaves and roll them into the cigar. Cigar was initially known as sikar, which was the act of smoking done during the fortune-telling ritual only. Cuba produces one of the finest cigars in the world and there are several big cigar firms in Cuba.

Cimarrón: A runaway slave.

Comandancia de La Plata: A place in Province of Granma, Manzanillo which is three km west of Alto del Naranjo along a clearly marked trail. A museum, field hospital, command post, the original site of Radio Rebelde and Fidel Castro's revolutionary residence.

Cornelio Sauchay: He was a coffee tycoon then. He erected Angerona between 1813 and 1820. He died in 1835 and the plantaion was divided among his heirs and sugar eventually replaecd coffee as the main crop.

Corral de Santo Tomás: This is a wildlife refuge in the west of Playa Larga. At the western outskirts of Playa Larga is a checkpoint and a chain across the road, and tourists are not allowed to enter the reguge without an official guide.

Claves: Rhythm sticks used by Cuban musicians.

Cola: line, queue.

Criollo: Creole; Spaniard born in the Americas.

CTC: Confederacíon de Trabajadores Cubanos; an important trade union confederation.

Cueva de los Peces: This plaec is an accessible sight. It is a huge flodded tectonic fault, or cenote, about 70 meters deep on the inland side of the road almost exactly midway between Playa Larga and Playa Girón.

Cuva de Los Portales: During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, Che Guevara transferred the headquaters of the Western Army to here, 11 km west of Parque La Güira and 16 km north of Entronque de Herradura on the Carretera Central. The cave is in a pretty area, one km off the main road and the Río Caiguanabo runs right through it. There is a camping area in the forest here near the cave and six basic cabañas. A stairway up the mountainside is available to those who stay.

Cueva del Indio: The northern portion of the Viñales area here, is the prettiest part. This cave 5½ km north of Viñales village was previously inhabited by Indians. In 1920, it was rediscovered. Boat trips (US$3) now ply the underground river through the electrically lit cave. You go 300 meters on foot and then travel 400 meters by rowboat, emerging near a small waterfall.

Desarrollo: Spanish word for 'development', is a word which rolls off the tongues of many Cubans these days. Everyone--from the government bureaucrat to the cigar roller--seems excited by the prospect of attracting new visitors to the island.

Divisas: Hard currency.

El Musal de la Prehistoria: Four km west of the village of Viñales is this place on a cliff at the foot of the 617-meter-high Sierra de Viñales, the highest portion of the Sierra de los Órganos. This 180-meter-long painting on the side of Mogote Dos Hermanas was designed in 1961 by Leovigildo González Morillo, a follower of the Mexican artist Diego Rivera. Unless you eat at the site restaurant, which specializes in grilled pork (noon to 7 pm), you will pay US$1 per person to view the mural up close.

El Palenque de los Cimarrones: Behind La Cueva de San Miguel, Pinar del Río, along a one-km access road off the main highway, specializes in poultry.

Emilio Bacardí y Moreau: (1844 – 1922), he was buried in the Cementerio Santa Ifigenia.

Encomienda: A section of land and an indigenous workforce entrusted to an individual by the crown during the early colonial era.

Estación de Ferrocarriles: Ferrocarril between Avenida Rafael Ferro and Avenida Pinares in Pinar del Río. It has trains northeast to Havana (three daily, six hours, US$6.50) and southwest to Guane (three daily, two hours, US$1.85). This service tends to be rather slow and unreliable, but it is less crowded for parking.

Estadio Capitán San Luis: On the north side of Pinar del Río is this plae where baseball games are held. Your best chance to see a game is from Tuesday to Thursday at 8:30 pm, Saturday at 5 pm if it is a double-header or at 8:30 pm if it is only a single and Sunday 1:30pm.

Fábrica Arrechabala: To the northwest of Cárdenas, Matanzas is this rum factory where Varadero and Bucanero rums are distilled. The Havana Club rum company was founded here in 1878.

Fábrica de Bebidas Casa Garay: At Isabel Rubio No 189, Pinar del Río, between Ceferino Fernández and Frank País. Erected in 1892, this factory distills sweet and dry versions of the famous Guayabita del Pinar brandy from guavas. Tourists are welcome to taste the brew in the sampling room to the left of the entrance and you can purchase bottles for US$5 each. It is open weekdays 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Fábrica de Tobaco César Escalante: This is a working cigar factory, which opens weekdays from 7 am to 4 pm. The shop on the premises sells the finished cigars.

Fábrica de Tobacos Francisco Donatien: The is the best place to learn something about Pinar del Río's tobacco industry. Located at Maceo No 157 Oeste, Pinar del Río. Open weekdays 7:30 am to 4 pm, Saturday 7:30 am to 11:30 am. The admission fee is US$2. Over there, you will be able to see 80 workers busily rolling cigars and there's a shop where you can buy the products.

Farmacia Martí: This is a pharmacy shop in Pinar del Río, Marti 50 at Isabel Rubio below Hotel Globo. It is open daily from 8 am to 11 pm. After hours, you can still make purchases through a small window on Isabel Rubio.

Flota: The Spanish treasure fleet.

Francisco Vincete Aguilera: (1821 – 1877), he led the independence struggle in Bayamo. Beside Torre de San Juan Evangelista, there is a bronze statue of Framcisco made to commemorate him.

FMC: Federación de Mujeres Cubans; a women's federation founded in 1960 and active in local and national politics.

Galería Provincial Aduardo Abela: The works of local artists are on display here, Calle 58 No 3708 between 37 and 39. It is open from Tuesday to Saturday 10 am to 5 pm. The admission fee is US$1.

Gobierno Provincial: Dating from the 1920s, the Gobierno Provincial or 'Poder Popular', at Pío Rosado and Aguilera opposite the Museo Bacardí, is the seat of the provincial assembly.

Gran Parque Nacional Sierra Maestra: A spectacular national park which begins 40 km south of Yara, up a very steep 24-km concrete road from Bartolomé Masó. The region is well known as Fidel Castro's base of operations during the Cuban Revolutionary War. The mountainous park has the country's highest peak. The hiking possibilities are unlimited, thus has since attracted many hikers..

Grito de Yara: This means 'Yara Declaration'. Yara is famous for this as Céspedes proclaimed Cuban independence then.

Guagua: A local bus.

Guajiro: A country person.

Guaracha: A satirical song for a single voice backed by a chorus.

Guarapo: Fresh sugar cane juice.

Guayabera: A pleated, buttoned men's shirt.

Hotel 26 de Julio: This 29-rooms hotel is in the center of the town of Guane is a peso establishment intended mostly for Cubans. There is a local nightclub here. The telephone is 9-7310.

Hotel Cocibolca: This hotel is in the center of Sandino, 89 km southwest of Pinar del Río, has 48 rooms with bath at about US$10 double. The Cocibolca's prefabricated four-story concrete building is basic. Foreign visitors are rare, so there is no guarantee that you will be accommodated at all. Give it a try if you are stuck

Hotel La Ermita: This is hotel is on a hilltop two km east of Viñales village, has 62 breezy rooms with bath and balcony at US$21/28 single/double in the low season, US$29/38 in the high season. You have the choice of staying in a long single-story block facing the pool or a series of two-story blocks facing the valley. This modern, relaxing hotel offers a swimming pool with an excellent view of the valley, tennis courts, and horseback riding (US$5 an hour). This is the only official accommodation within easy walking distance of the varied eating and entertaining possibilities in the village. The contact number is 93-6071.

Hotel Libertad: This two-story hotel is two blocks away from Hotel Saratoga at Calle 33 No 3805, San Diego de los Baños, Pinar del Río. She has 20 fan-cooled rooms with bath, which are officially for Cubans only.

Hotel Los Jazmines: This hotel is four km south of Viñales on the road to Pinar del Río, another 25 km to the south. The 72 rooms with bath and TV are in two three-story blocks on opposite sides of the rectangular swimming pool. Rooms cost US$21/30 single/double in the low season, US$26/35 in the high season. In addition, 16 slightly cheaper rooms called 'cabañas' are in a long single-story block facing the valley. The view of the Valle de Viñales from the hotel is one of the best, so the pool area and viewpoint are crowded with sightseers who come and go all day. The contact number is 3-3404.

Hotel María la Gorda: This hotel in Viñales, Pinar del Río, is on the Bahía de Corrientes near the point where the Caribbean Sea becomes the Gulf of Mexico, 150 km southwest of Pinar del Río. From the coast guard post at La Bajada where the highway meets the Caribbean, Hotel María la Gorda is 14 km to the left and Cabo de San Antonio is 54 km to the right. Although only a few hours from Pinar del Río by car, this is the most remote hotel on the main island of Cuba. It is right on the beach and over 50 dive sites are in the vicinity, including a vertical drop-off just 200 meters from the hotel. There are lots of nice picnic and snorkeling spots along the road to the hotel if you only want to make it a day trip. This hotel has has 20 rooms at US$15/30/45 single/double/triple year round.

Hotel Mirador: This hotel is adjacent to the hot springs located in San Diego de los Baños, Pinar del Río. Foreigners are expected to stay in this 30 air-conditioned rooms with bath and TV which cost US$27/34 single/double year-round. There is a rectangular swimming pool. Do not confuse this hotel with Restaurante Mirador five km away at Las Güira. The contact number is 35-5410.

Hotel Rancho San Vicente: This hotel is seven km north of Viñales village and one km north of the Cueva del Indio, has 29 rooms and 34 cabañas with bath at US$17/23 single/double in the low season, US$24/32 in the high season. The 29 rooms in a three-story building next to the highway have been closed recently, but the 34 small cabañas are nicely spaced around a large lawn. Five individual thermal pool with sulfurous waters are accessible daily from 9 am to 5 pm. The fee is US$1 per half hour, 15-minute massage US$15. The contact number is 9-3201.

Hotel Saratoga: Two blocks over from Hotel Mirador is a gracious old hotel erected in 1924, complete with rocking chairs on the porch. Unfortunately the 35 fan-cooled rooms with baths and radios are for Cubans only. Located in San Diego de los Baños, Pinar del Río, the contact number is 3-7821.

Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad: This 18^th century church is located at General Portuondo No 661 at General Moncada, Santiago de Cuba. It has a decorated ceiling and neoclassical side altars. A huge ceiba tree stands in front of the church.

Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen: Located at Félix Peña No 505(Santiago de Cuba), this 18^th century hall church is the final resting place of composer Estéban Salas (1725 – 1803).

Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Merced: A colonial church built in 1748, rebuilt 1848, located two blocks west along Avenida Agramonte. There is a small museum below the main altar and there is also an active convent in the cloister attached to the church.

Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad: This is a massive structure built in 1775 with two baroque frescoes inside. This structure is currently located at the corner of Avenida Agramonte, south of the railway line Avenida de los Mártires.

Iglesia de San Francisco: This 18^th century three-nave church is located two bocks northwest, Juan Bautista Sagarra No 121(Santiago de Cuba).

Iglesia de Santo Tomás: This 18^th century church is at Félix Peña No 308(Santiago de Cuba), a couple of blocks north, has a bell tower and three naves. 

Iglesia Parroquial Mayor de San Salvador: It is a few blocks away on Plaza del Himno Nacional, in Bayamo. It is notable as the place where La Bayamesa was sung on November 8, 1868. It is open for sightseeing from Tuesday to Friday from 3 to 5 pm.

Isabel Rubío: This is an important cross street in Pinar del Río which leads into the Carretera Central north of the city toward Havana and into the road to San Juan y Martínez to the south.

Jardín Botánico Soledad: The 90-hectare Jardín Botánico Soledad near the Pepito Tey sugar mill, 17 km east of Cienfuegos near Guaos, has 2000 species of plants including 23 bamboo species, 65 fig species and 280 palm species. The botanical garden was founded by Edwin F Atkins, a US sugar millionaire, in 1901 on land belonging to the old Colonia de Limones sugar estate, formerly known as the Central Soledad. Atkins originally intended to use the garden to study different varieties of sugar canes, but he soon began planting exotic tropical trees from around the world.

José Joaquín Palma: (1844 – 1911), a local poet who was very popular for his great pieces of poems. A monument to him was made and stands in the park diagonally across the street from the Torre de San Juan Evangelista.

José Martí: Cuba's national hero, José Martí, was born to Spanish immigrant parents in Havana on January 28, 1853. While still at high school Martí became involved in anti-colonial activities, and in 1869 he published a political tract and the first issue of a newspaper called La Patria Libre. A war of independence had broken out in Oriente the previous year and the Spanish colonial authorities were in no mood to allow criticism, so in October 1869 Martí was arrested on treason charges and in April 1870 he was sentenced to six years at hard labor. In his own time, Martí was best known for essays that set out his vision of a secular republic and warned of the treat to Cuba from Sporadic US imperialism (the US had annexed half of Mexico less than four decades earlier). He was killed during a brief skirmish with the Spanish at Dos Ríos on the Cauto River in present Granma Province.

La Casa de Don Tomás: This eating place is an old colonial mansion at the south entrance to Viñales village (daily 9 am to 10 pm). It serves a plate called 'las delicias de Don Thomás', which includes rice, lobster, fish, pork, chicken and sausage with an egg as the central decoration (US$10). Fried chicken here costs US$5.50.

La Esquinita Coctelería: Isabel Rubio at Juan Gualberto Gómez , Pinar del Río. Open Tuesday to Sunday 5 to 11:30pm. It is a large Spanish-style pub well worth seeking out.

Laguna de las Salinas: It is located 25 km southwest of Playa Larga. It is part of Las Salinas Wildlife Refuge where large numbers of migratory birds can be seen from November to May. At the western outskirts of Playa Larga is a checkpoint and a chain across the road, and tourists are not allowed to enter the reguge without an official guide.

Librería Amando Ramón Sánchez: This bookshop is located at Saco No 356 in Santiago de Cuba. It is open Monday to Saturday 8 am to 4 pm.

Librería Internacional: This is a bookshop located in Santiago de Cuba. It is facing the south side of Parque Céspedes below the cathedral, has a good selection of rather expensive books in English.

Librería La Internacional: This is a bookshop located in Pinar del Río. At Avenida Colón at Martí. It is open weekdays 8 am to noon and 1 to 5 pm. Saturdays are 8 am to 4 pm.

Librería Manolito del Toro: Located at Saco No 413 in Santiago de Cuba. This bookshop is open weekdays from 8 am to 4:30 pm plus alternating Saturdays. It is popular and is good for political literature.

Librería Viet Nam Heroica: This is a bookshop located at Martí No 28, Pinar del Río. It is open Monday to Saturday from 1 am to 5 pm.

Manzanillo: A city in Province of Granma. There are 110, 000 inhabitants and was founded in 1784. It is 65 km west of Bayamo.

Mariel: A major industrial town and port with the largest cement factory in Cuba, a thermal power plant and shipyards. It was founded in 1762, with a population of 14, 000 now, is 45 km west of Havana and is now known mostly for the 120, 000 Cubans who left here for Florida in April 1980.

Martí: This is Pinar del Río's main street and many facilities are also on Máximo Gómez and Antonio Maceo, which run parallel to Martí just to the south.

Mausoleo a las Mártires de Artemisa: This museum is situated at Avenida 28 de Enero east of the Carretera Central. It is open from Tuesday to Saturday 8 am to 5 pm and Sunday 8 am to noon. The history of the revolution of Cuba is displayed here. Of the 119 revolutionaries who accompanied Fidel Castro in the 1953 assault on the Moncada Barracks, 28 were from Artemesia.

Máximo Gómez: During the 1895 war, he was first in command with Antonio Maceo as his assistant.

Moncada Barracks: These barracks at General Portuondo and Avenida Moncada are named for Guillermón Moncada, who was imprisoned here in 1874 and who later fought for independence from Spainduring the 'Little War' of 1879. The first barrack on this site was constructed by the Spanish in 1859, and in 1938 the present buildings were completed. There was an attack here in 1953 and caused many deaths.

Motel La Mulata: 27 km west of Bahía Honda, Pinar del Río, and one km off the main road, has six duplex units with bath in a long single-story for US$13 single or double. A terrace overlooks the bay. It is a friendly  place, but there is no beach suitable for swimming.

Motel Punta de Piedra: This motel is on a hilltop three km north of the town of Hahía Honda, Pinar del Río, on a sideroad to Punta de Piedra. The 19 rooms, each with bath and fridge in a long single-story block, are US$15 for double in May, June, September, October and November, or US$19 the rest of the year. There is a nice view of the bay but no real beach. Power and water facilities are routine and mosquitoes abound. it is overpriced for what you get.

Motel Yaguas: 500 meters off the Carretera Panamericana, 12 km south-west of San Juan y Martínez is this motel. It has five cabañas and four rooms with bath and a swimming pool. But there is no telephones available. It usually accommodates Cubans only.

Municipal Market : It lies on the corner of Padre Pico and Aguilera. A wide variety of goods are sold there.

Museo Casa Natal de Antonio Maceo: This museum is located in Santiago de Cuba, two blocks northwest of Santo Tomás, Los Maceos No 207 at Corona. It is close on Monday and the admission fee is US$1. The museum was named after the famous general Antonio Maceo.

Museo Casa Natal de Ignacio Agramonte: This museum is located at Avenida Agramonte No 59 at Independencia opposite La Merced. It is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday 10 am to 6 pm, Thursday and Friday 10 am t 6 pm, Sunday 8 am to noon. The admission fee is US$1. This place is the birth place of Ignacio Agramonte (1841 – 1873), the cattle rancher who led the revolt against Spain in this area in 1868.

Museo de Carnaval: This museum is at nearby on Heredia No 303, Santiago de Cuba. It open Tuesday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm, Saturday 9 am to 11 pm and Sunday 9 am to 5 pm. Admission fee is US$1, cultural activities in the patio will be an additional US$1.

Museo de Ciencias Naturales Sandalio de Noda: This museum is in Martí No 202 at Avenida Pinares, Pinar del Río. It is open from Tuesday to Saturday 9 am to 4:30 pm, Subday 8 to 11:30 am. The admission fee is US$1. Showcases of the local flora and fauna in the eclectic Palacio Guasch dating from 1914. Cement models of dinosaurs are in the rear courtyard.

Museo de Historia: This museum is situated at Calle Martí No 2307. It is next to the Casa de Cultura Municipal, one clock from the large church on the main square. It is open from Tuesday to Saturday 9 am to 5 pm and Sunday 9 am to noon. The museum contains a variety of historical displays and facts of Cuba.

Museo de la Comandancia: This municipal museum is right next to a sugar mill. It contains a few stuffed birds and animals and a good historical collection ranging from prehistoric to the present. Outside the museum is a wreck of an invading aircraft shot down by Fidel's troops. It opens from Tuesday to Saturday 8 am to 5 pm and Sunday 8 am to 1 pm. The admission fee is US$1.

Museo de la Lucha Clandestina: This museum describes the underground struggle against Batista. It is now housed by the colonial-style station and opens from Tuesday to Sunday 9 am to 5 pm. Admission is US$1.

Museo del Humor: A museum situated at Calle 60 at Avenida 45. It is unique in Cuba as it displays collections of cartoons, caricatures and other humorous objects. Among the drawings exhibited in this old colonial house are a few pornographic cartoons. It opensfrom Tuesday to Saturday 11 am to 6 pm and Sunday 9 am to 1 pm. Admission fee is US$2.

Museo Girón: This museum is across the street from Villa Playa Girón. It offers two rooms of Bay of Pigs artifacts and photos with Spanish captions. It opens daily from 9 am to 5 pm. The admission fee is US$2.

Museo Municipal Emilio Bacardí Moreau: A museum located near Museo de Carnaval, is open from Tuesday to Saturday 9 am to 9 pm, Sunday 9 am to 4 pmamd Monday 3 to 8 pm. The admission fee is US$2. This museum is one of Cuba's oldest functional museums. Founded in 1899 by the famous rum distiller and the first mayor of Santiago de Cuba, Emilio Bacardí y Moreau (1844 – 1922), this provincial museum has exhibits downstairs relating to the 19^th century independence struggles plus a collection of weapons and Cuban paintings upstairs.

Museo Ñico López: A museum on Abihail González is a little hard to find but asking for directions will not be a problem. She is situated in the former officers club of the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes military barracks. The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday 8 am to noon and 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm, Sunday 9 am to 1 pm. The admission fee is US$0.50.

Museo Oscar María de Rojas: A museum located on Parque Echeverría at Avenida 4 Este and Calle 12.It is open Tuesday to Saturday 8 am to 4 pm, and Sunday 8 am to noon. The admission fee is US$1. It is housed in the former town hall erected in 1861. Founded in 1900, this was one of Cuba's first museums. The displays include minerals, butterflies, insects, shells, armaments, numismatics and Indian artifacts, plus and ornate funeral carriage.

Museo Provincial de Historia: This museum is located at Martí No 58 between Colón and Lsabel Rubio, Pinar del Río. It is open from Tuesday to Saturday 8:30 am to 4 pm and Sunday 9 am to 1 pm. The admission fee is US$1. This museum is dedicated to the history of the province from Indian times to the present. You will be able to see paintings, furniture, objects relating to Enrique Jorrín (creator of the chachachá) and a large landscape painting (1955) by Domingo Ramos.

Museo Provincial Ignacio Agramonte: This is one of the largest museum in Cuba and is located at the north of the train station in Camagüey, Avenida de los Mártires No 2 at Calle Ignacio Sánchez. It is open from Tuesday to Saturday 9 am to 5 pm and Sunday 8 am to noon. Admission fee is US$1. In  1948, the present museum was installed with collections relating to history, natural history, decoratives arts and fine arts. There are three paintings by the local turn-of-the-century artist Fidelio Ponce.

Museo Tomás Romay: This museum is a block west of Plaza de Marte at the corner of Saco and Monseñor Barnada. It is open Tuesday to Saturday 9 am to 5 pm, Sunday 9 am to 1 pm. The admission fee is US$1. It contains natural history, archeology and modern art displays. Anyone interested in bird watching should ask for an ornithologist named Luis who works at the museum. For a donation, he will gladly take visitors to a nature reserve just outside town.

Orquidareo: Next door to Villa Soroa, Soroa (Pinar del Río), is this orchid farm. Established in 1943 where 350 species of orchids are on display (daily 9 am to noon and 1 to 4 pm, admission US$2)

Palacio de Justicia: The Palacio de Justicia, Avenida de los Libertadores and Calle H(Santiago de Cuba), also figured prominently in the assault on Moncada as fighters led by Raúl Castro provided covering fire from the rooftop. The trial of the bulk of the Moncada defendants was held here in September 1953.

Paladar Los Antonios: Beside the highway next to the main building of Hotel Rancho San Vicente, is a private place cheaper than the official tourist restaurants in this area.

Paladares: Privately operated Restaurant El Mesón, Martí No 205, Pinar del Río, opposite the Museo de Ciencias Naturales. It is open Monday to Saturday noon to midnight. The restaurant serves chicken, pork and fish. Their menu is priced in pesos.

Panadería Doña Neli: This is where bread is sold continuously until the supply is finished. Located in Gernardo Medina at Máximo Gómez, Pinar del Río. It sells bread from 6:30 am to 6 pm. The adjacent cafeteria stays open until 2 am and continues selling bread until

Parque Histórico Abel Santamaría: At General Portuondo and Avenida de los Libertadores is the site of the former Saturnino Lora Civil Hospital. On July 26, 1953, a group of revolutionaries led by Abel Santamaría occupied the hospital during the attack on the adjacent Moncada Barracks. Most of those involved were later murdered by Batista troops. On October 16, 1953, Fidel Castro was tried in the Escuela de Emfermeras here for leading the Moncada attack, and it was in this building that he made his famous 'History Will Absolve Me' speech. A site museum (Monday to Frday 8 am to 5 pm, Saturday and Sunday 8 am to noon, admission US$1) opened in 1976 with a photo exhibit on socioeconomic conditions in Cuba during the 1950s.

Parque La Güira: Five km west of San Diego de los Baños is this place. The former Hacienda Cortina, a large sculpture park built by wealthy landowner Manuel Cortina. This public park is often misleading nicknamed a 'national park' in Cuban tourism brochures. There are artificial ruins, a Chinese pavilion, and clusters of bamboo. A huge modern restaurant called Restaurante Mirador (closed Monday) is just above Parque La Güira, but the cabins here are reserved for vacationing military personnel.

Plaza de Marte: This is a 19^th century Spanish parade ground where prisoners were executed by firing squad during the colonial era. Located in the center of town in Santiago de Cuba. Today this plaza contains monuments to the various heroes of Cuban independence.

Parque Céspedes: A place where a bronze statue of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, hero of the First War of Independence. There is also a marble bust of Perucho Figueredo with the words of the Cuban national anthem.

Parque Alameda: A popular promenade that was opened in 1840 and was redesigned in 1893. This place is only a few blocks west of Museo de la Lucha Clandestina.

Parque Baconao:

Parque Histórico Abel Santamatía: This historical venue is located at General Portuondo and Avenida de los Lbertadores. The place is the site of the former Saturnino Lora Civil Hospital. On July 26, 1953, a group of revolutionaries led by Abel Santamaría occupied the hospital during the attack on the adjacent Moncada Barracks.

Parque Zoológico: This is Santiago de Cuba's zoo which is open Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 5 pm. The admission is US$1. It is located on Avenida Raúl Pujol, one km east of Hotel Santiago de Cuba. To get there from the Casa del Caribe, go west a block to Calle 11 and then south four blocks to the zoo.

Península Guanahacabibes: The flat Península Guanahacabibes begins at La Fé, 94 km southwest of Pinar del Río. This tail end of Cuba is rocky along the south coast, swampy along the north. Few people live here as the soils are poor for agriculture but it is a good bird watching area populated with many parrots and partridges and the occasional bee humming-bird. The splendid beach at Hotel María la Gorda was named for a plump Venezuelan marooned here by pirates. She turned to prostitution to survive and her ample charms are still fondly recalled in these parts. The scuba diving is excellent here.

Pinar del Río: One of Cuba largest province is 10, 925 square km Pinar del Río. It is bounded by Havana Province to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south. The 175-km long Cordillera de Guaniguanico is Pinar del Río's spine. It contains some of Cuba's loveliest scenery, reminiscent of southern  China and yet the entire province is largely untouristed. It stands on the Río Guamá at 60 meters elevatin below the Alturas Pizarrosas del Sur, 186 km southwest of Havana. The city was founded as Nueva Filipina in 1669, one of the last of the major cities of Cuba to be established. In 1896, General Antonio Maceo brought the Second War of Independence to Pinar del Río.

Playa Girón: It is situated on the eastern side of the famous Bay of Pigs. 48 km south of Boca de Guanmá, makes a good base if you are driving around yourself.

Plaza Molocoff: Located at Avenida 3 Oeste and Calle 12, a two-story cast-iron market hall with a 16-meter high dome.

Ranchón y Finca San Vincente: Near the exit from the Cueva del Indio (11 am to 4 pm), Viñales, Pinar del Río, is also on the tour-bus circuit. A country-style lunch here will cost about US$10, and you may get salsa music with your grilled pork.

Restaurante Cueva del Indio: At the entrance to the cave (daily 9 am to 4 pm), Viñales, Pinar del Río, is a tour-group-style restaurant with long communal tables where travelers are served baked chicken with manioc cakes.

Restaurante Valle-Bar/Casa Dago: The restaurant is on the main street a block south of Viñales central square, Pinar del Río. This paladar offers cheap food and expensive drinks. Inside you pay in dollars, but the sidewalk stall outside sells a good variety of things for pesos.

Sala Polivalente 19 de Noviembre: This place is nearby Rafael Morales, Pinar del Río, where wrestling, boxing, weight lifting, volleyball and basketball will take place.

Salto de Soroa: Just across the road from Villa Soroa, Soroa (Pinar del Río), is the entrance to a park which portraits a magnificent waterfall on the Arroyo Manantiales. You can swim at the foot of the falls. Regular admission to the falls is US$2, but it is free if you are staying at Villa Soroa.

San Antonio de los Baños: This is a market town of 30, 000 inhabitants, lies 35 km southwest of central Havana. The town was founded in 1775 and it sits in the middle of a citrus and tobacco growing area.

San Diego de los Baños: This pretty resort town is 130 km south west of Havana. It is worthy of a day of relaxation if you enjoy thermal baths. The Río San Diego on which this lowland village sits separates the Sierra de los Órganos to the west from the higher Sierra del Rosario to the east. The Sierra de Güira to the west of San Diego de los Baños is a nature reserve with pine, mahogany and cedar forests, a favorite bird-watching area.

San Juan Hill: This hill was where US, Cubans and Spanish troops faced one another on July 1, 1898. Located in Satiago de Cuba, some of the original cannons and trenches can still be seen, but notice how the inscriptions have been removed from the bronze figure of the 'Rough Rider' in the center of the park. Admission is free but you must be aware of hustlers.

Santa María del Puerto Príncipe: This place was founded in February 1514 near the site of present Nuevitas, one of the seven original towns established by Diego Velázquez. Soon after the town was moved twice , mostly because of Indian rebellions and the poor farmland around Nuevitas. In 1528, the present site was selected because it was less vulnerable to attack and as a defesive measure Camagüey was deliberately laid out in a confusing, irregular way in the hope that assailants would become disoriented.

Santiago de Cuba: This is Cuba's second largest city and a strong rival to Havana in literature, music and politics. During the 19^th century, French settlers arrived and contributed to the melting pot of Haitian, Afican and Spanish influences that have made this Cuba's most Caribbean city.

Soroa: 95 km west of Havana, is the closest mountain resort area to the capital. It is above Candelaria in the Sierra del Rosario, the easternmost and highest section of the Cordillera de Guaniguanico. Soroa is known as the 'raindow of Cuba', and the region's heavy rainfall promotes the growth of tall trees and orchids. The park was created in the 1920s by Ignacio Soroa as a personal retreat and only since the revolution has this lovely area been developed for tourism.

Sugar Cane: Sugar cane originated on the island of New Guinea in the South Pacific and was widely used in ancient India. the Arabs brought the plant to medieval Spain and the first Spanish explorers carried it to the New World.

Taberna de Dolores: Located at Aguilera No 468, this 19^th century warehouse residence with characteristic balconies, ironwork and decorative woodwork. A number of hard currency restaurants and cafes surround this Square, and there is often a local band playing for tourists and locals.

Teatro José Jacinto Milanés: The wooden 500-seat theatre was founded in 1845 in Martí and Avenida Colón, Pinar del Río. It was restored in 1996.

Tobacco: Tobacco is a very major source of income for Cuba. Pinar del Río is the source of 80% of Cuba's tobacco, with 17, 400 metric tons produced in 1995. The first tobacco factory opened in Pinar del Río in 1760 is still the main industry there. Private farms account for a majority of the crop and considerable irrigation is employed.

Torre de San Juan Evangelista: This is a church dating from the earliest years of Bayamo stood on this spot until it was destroyed in the great fire in 1869. Later the church's tower served as the entrance to the first cemetery in Cuba, which closed in 1919. The cemetery was edmolished in 1940, but the tower again survived.

Transautos car-rental: This car rental service is provided by Hotel Pinar del Río. The Servi-Cupet gas station is two km out on the Carretera Central toward Havana.

Universidad de Oriente: This educational institues is on of the leading ones in Cuba. It was founded inn 1947 and is in Santiago de Cuba.

Villa Laguna Grande: This is a fishing resort four km south of the crossroads at Bolívar, 29 km southwest of Guane or 84km southwest of Pinar del Río. It has no telephones. The 12 thatched cabañas with bath and fridge are US$20/26/33 single/double/triple. The resort is located directly below the dam that raised this natural lake, which is presently stocked with bass. You can swim in the lake, but the fishing facilities are unreliable (at last report there were no rods, reels or boats). If fishing is your main aim, inquire at the Islazul office in Pinar del Río before coming here.

Villa Maspotón: A striking contrast to Villa Turística Los Pinos is this resort. It is a base camp for khaki-clad sharp-shoots who are taken out to slaughter the local wildlife. As you drive down a poorly marked dirt road to this dismal spot, you are engulfed in dust. The resort is also known as the Club de Caza Pesca, but no fishing facilities are available.

Villa Turística Los Pinos: This is Cuba's most intriguing mountain resort. Located in Sierra de Guira, Pinar del Río, 12 km west of San Diego de los Baños via Parque La Güira. Los Pinos was built in the early 1960s by Fidel Castro's secretary, the late Celia Sánchez, whose cabin stands in the center of the complex. In recent years the resort has fallen on hard times and there is no telephone or regular supply of electricity. The single operator is used only on special occaisons, leading to water problems since there is no pump to fill the tanks. If you come here, do not expect more than a bed and a roof over your head.

Village of Viñales: The village in the southern part of the Viñales region was founded in 1607. It has 4000 habitants there. The Casa de la Cultura in an old mansion beside the church on the main square has a full program of cultural activities and an art gallery is next door.

Viñales: Tucked away in the Sierra de los Órganos, 27 km north of Pinar del Río, is one of the prettiest natural areas in Cuba. Viñales is a fertile plain of several valleys separated by pincushion or 'haystack' hills called mogotes, similar to the limestone hills of Quilin in southern China (Viñales is also the name of a village). The area code here is 8.

Vista Alegre: This is Santiago de Cuba's old upper class neighbourhood. It is on the east side of town. From near Hotel Las Américas, Avenida Manduley runs east through Vista Alegre past many stately neocolonial mansions. Some of which were converted into schools, clinics, cultural centers, government offices, restaurants and museums after the former owners left for exile in the US La Maison at No 52 is a fancy fashion boutique.

Vuelta Abajo: This region in Pinar del Río produces one of Cuba's best cigars making use of tobacco leaves. It is along the Río Cuyaguateje due to the sandy soil and humid climate. Tobacco has been cultivated here since the 18^th century.