Hostal Casa Yanieska

"Baracoa, it must be said, is one of the most beautiful and magical places on the island, and the people there are disarmingly kind-hearted and naive." (Leonardo Padura: The Man Who Loved Dogs). Colonial-era fortresses, mountains with lush vegetation, numerous streams and rivers, rainforest (such as the Alexander von Humboldt National Park), cocoa and coffee plantations, and virtually untouched coasts, all can be found in and around Baracoa. In the Bay of Baracoa, Christopher Columbus anchored on his first voyage of discovery on November 27, 1492. The Cruz de la Parra, which he erected in Baracoa, is the last surviving cross and the oldest Christian symbol in the New World. It can be visited today in the "Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Asunción." Until 1522, Baracoa was the capital of the Spanish colony, but then Velázquez moved the administrative headquarters to Santiago de Cuba.