Santa Clara Cuba, Central Cuba

Capital to the lush province of Villa Clara, Santa Clara is in the geographic center of Cuba and has a history as colorful and bright as its population today. This city was a prominent member of the Ten year’s War against Spain for independence, as well as the armed revolt of the Cuban Revolution, and this powerful, punchy past is echoed in the movements and creativity that began in Santa Clara. Visitors will feel this vibrance when walking along the lively Parque Vidal central square and touring the Che Guevara memorial sites and museums.

A city of revitalization and revolution, you can see this packed history begin in the 1950s during the battle of Santa Clara where the city was taken back by the guerilla Ernesto Chet Guevara. The battle of Santa Clara was a decisive battle that marked the end of the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Two important memorials were erected to commemorate this historic moment – the Che Guevara Museum and the armored train museum, where you can see the derailed train car that Che Guevara and his rebels derailed an armored train, shifting the tides of the ongoing revolution.

Besides the striking history that lines every crevice of the city, visitors can also find a vibrant city culture unlike any other place in Cuba. With an annual heavy metal festival, plenty of shopping and restaurants, and art galleries filled with satirical content, Santa Clara is a city brimming with revolution – whether in its history or in its contemporary culture.