Cuba City Guide - Remedios, the 8th Original Village

Located in the center of the island, 9 kilometers fromcreate an environment that invites you to stroll
the Caibarién harbor and approximately 50around the arteries of the centenary metropolis.
kilometers from Santa Clara, Remedios is a NationalThe city is not equipped for tourism. The Mascotte
Monument, rich in history and cultural traditions.hotel or the "casas particulares" are highly
Although the Village of San Juan de los Remediosrecommended to those willing to stay more than a
was founded in 1578, the 8th village founded by theday in the town. With only 10 standard rooms, the
Spanish colonists, there are documents testifying thatMascotte Hotel turns out to be charming and
the first houses of the village were settled by 1515.comfortable, elegant and sober at the same time,
By the beginning of the Colonial period Remedios wasand it's an excellent venue for enjoying the
a victim of attacks from pirates and buccaneers, andcelebrations of the Parrandas de Remedios for its
as a result the town decided to move away fromwonderful vantage points over the Plaza Mayor.
the coast more than once.However, the biggest treasures of this city are its
It's a small city, with excellent buildings, beautifulParrandas that take place every December 24th. It's
promenades, lively parks, schools and monuments.a friendly competition being held between the
During the last decades it has undergone significantneighborhoods of San Salvador and El Carmen. They
social and cultural development thanks to, amongststart with the lighting of the "trabajos de plaza"
other things its proximity to Cayo Santa María (a(creative works done over the course of the year
major Cuban beach resort) and the publicity it hasby the locals), traditional music, and an "artillery" of
received for its famous "Parrandas" (a uniquefireworks. The opposite contestant responds the
Christmas festivity in Cuba).same way, and so on and so forth, each quarter
Remedios is the only town in the country with twopresenting its own material, until late in the night,
churches: that of Nuestra Señora del Buen Viaje,when the admirable floats appear, whose designs and
and the Parroquial Mayor de San Juan Bautista. Thebuilding have been kept in secret the whole year.
latter holds an enormous gold-plated altar and anIf you cannot make it on December 24th, the city
admirable sculpture representing the Blessed Virginhas prepared an ethnographic museum of the
inside a display cabinet. She is pregnant, and it's beenParrandas, housed in a 20th-century building featuring
said that this is the only one in the world where shethe mementoes of all celebrations and preserving the
is represented like that.heritage by means of photos, documents, models,
The city is also characterized for its irregular streets,costumes, musical instruments, and handcrafted
with big eaves protecting the walkers from thepieces related to these festivities.
intensity of the sun rays, and at the same time they