Cuba past and present . from insur-gents. Seen from the sea, Gibara appears like ascene from a comic opera or a bright-hued pastelwith its charming villas painted in pink, blue,green, lavender, and yellow, with red-tiled roofsand behind them all the great cream-colouredcathedral with its domes and towers set off bynodding palms and clumps of verdure. Although Gibara is charming in its quaintnessand old-world appearance, it is of greatest interestas being the first point in Cuba visited by Colum-bus who entered the harbour in 1492. In hisjournal the Admiral mentions the three strikinglandfalls
Cuba past and present . from insur-gents. Seen from the sea, Gibara appears like ascene from a comic opera or a bright-hued pastelwith its charming villas painted in pink, blue,green, lavender, and yellow, with red-tiled roofsand behind them all the great cream-colouredcathedral with its domes and towers set off bynodding palms and clumps of verdure. Although Gibara is charming in its quaintnessand old-world appearance, it is of greatest interestas being the first point in Cuba visited by Colum-bus who entered the harbour in 1492. In hisjournal the Admiral mentions the three strikinglandfalls known as the Silla (saddle), the Pan(sugar loaf), and the Tabla (table), and thesethree hills may be seen by the traveller approach-ing Gibara to-day,— their lower slopes coveredwith verdure but their summits steep, bare, andreflecting the dazzling sunset light until they seemlike mountains of blazing, molten metal. Holguin. From Gibara the railway leads to Holguin, atown of about 9,000 inhabitants, in a dry but f er-. o ?$ o MATANZAS AND OTHER PORTS 181 tile district wherein many American and Canadianfruit growers have settled. Near Holguin is themost important gold mine in Cuba and from thetown the visitor may easily make a trip to thevast estates of the Chaparra Sugar has taken a noteworthy part in Cubaswars for independence and General Calixto Gar-cia was born in the town. During the Spanishoccupancy of the Island the Spanish troops werequartered for acclimatisation at this place andfrom here General Prado marched forth with5,000 troops for the relief of Santiago. Afterthe Spaniards had been driven from Holguin therewere over 3,000 cases of smallpox in the cityand months were required to cleanse the housesand streets of the accumulated filth left by thethousands of troops who had occupied the town. Holguin is as brightly coloured as an orientalcity and its variously tinted, old-fashioned houses,narrow streets, charming, ancient church of SanJose and three
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, bookidcubapastpres, bookyear1920
