Santiago de Cuba "Jose Bofill's Native Land" Tierra Natal

 

Santiago de Cuba "Jose Bofill's Native Land" Tierra Natal

 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Santiago de Cuba is the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island nation of Cuba, some 540 miles (870 km) south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana.  The municipality extends over 1,023.8 square kilometers (395.3 sq mi), and contains the communities of El Caney, Guilera, Antonio Maceo, Bravo, Castillo Duany, Leyte Vidal and Moncada.  Historically Santiago de Cuba has long been the second most important city on the island after Havana, and still remains the second largest. It is on a bay connected to the Caribbean Sea and is an important sea port. In 2004 the city of Santiago de Cuba had a population of about 494,337 people.

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History


Santiago de Cuba was founded by Spanish conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar on June 28, 1514. In 1516 the settlement was destroyed by fire, and was immediately rebuilt. This was the starting point of the expeditions led by Juan de Grijalba and Hernán Cortés to the coasts of Mexico in 1518, and in 1538 by Hernando de Soto's expedition to Florida. The first cathedral was built in the city in 1528. From 1522 until 1589 Santiago was the capital of the Spanish colony of Cuba.

The city was plundered by French forces in 1553, and by British forces under Christopher Myngs in 1662.
The city experienced an influx of French immigrants in the late 18th century and early 19th century, many coming from Haiti after the Haitian slave revolt of 1791. This added to the city's eclectic cultural mix, already rich with Spanish and African culture.

It was also the location where Spanish troops faced their main defeat at San Juan Hill on July 1, 1898, during the Spanish-American War. Spain later surrendered to the United States after the destruction of its Atlantic fleet just outside Santiago's harbor.  Cuban poet, writer, and national hero, José Martí, is buried in Cementerio Santa Efigenia.

Caridad Del Cobre

Role in the Revolution


Santiago was also the home of the revolutionary hero, Frank País. On July 26, 1953, the Cuban Revolution began with an ill-prepared armed attack on the Moncada Barracks by a small contingent of rebels led by Fidel Castro. Shortly after this disastrous incident, País began talking with students and young working people informally, drawing around him what became an extremely effective urban revolutionary alliance. This developed into highly organized cells coordinating a large scale urban resistance that became instrumental in the success of the Cuban Revolution.

Santiago de Cuba - Castillo del Morro (Morro Castle)

País' group prepared carefully, accruing weapons, collecting money, collecting medical supplies. They published a cheap newsletter that reported news that criticized the government, attempting to counter Batista's censorship.

In the summer of 1955, País’ organization merged with Castro's July 26 Movement. País became the leader of the new organization in Oriente province.

On January 1, 1959, Fidel Castro proclaimed the victory of the Cuban Revolution from a balcony on Santiago de Cuba's city hall.


Culture


Santiago de Cuba was the hometown of poet José María Heredia. It houses a museum that displays the extensive art collection of the Bacardí family.   Santiago de Cuba is well known for its cultural life. Some of Cuba's most famous musicians, including Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer and Eliades Ochoa (all of which participated in the Buena Vista Social Club) and trova composer Ñico Saquito (Benito Antonio Fernández Ortiz) were born in the city or in one of the villages surrounding it. They have contributed to the typical, country-like music of the city.

Parque Cespedes (Park)

Furthermore, Santiago de Cuba is well-known for its traditional dances, most notably son, from which salsa has been derived, and guaguancó, which is accompanied by percussion music only. The city is also well-known for its Carnival, which is strangely enough celebrated in July. During Carnival, traditional conga music is played in the streets on a typical, pentatonic trumpet, called the trompeta china.

A relatively high number of residents of the city adhere to Afro-Cuban religions, most notably santería. The city hosts an important community of descendants from Haitian immigrants from the 19th century. Some aspects of the religious "vodún" heritage of the city can be traced back to this community.

Jose Bofill Cayol "Painter and Guardian of Our Heritage"

Contributed by María del Carmen Díaz Díaz

On December 27th, 1862, the painter and patriot Jose Cayol Bofill was born in Santiago de Cuba, this beautiful southeastern city of Cuba . He became a prominent promoter of the arts and a jealous guardian of our cultural heritage.  From an early age, he revealed his desire and passion for the painting, an artistic expression in which he has Antonio Vallejo as first and principle master. After graduating, he worked in accounting for several years at the Gas Company, while using the money he made for paying his tuition tuition.  At 24 years of age, he was inspired with an the idea of founding the Yacht Club of Santiago de Cuba. This institution became a center of conspiracies to influence the second war of independence against the Spanish colonialism, which began in 1895.  Jose Bofill was arrested and after a period of solitary confinement, on April 22nd, 1897, was released with a warning to leave the country immediately.

He started a difficult but decisive stage in his life. He passed directly to Haiti, where he drew cards, using a pen, with effigies of Marti and Maceo, which were acquired by emigration.  He later traveled to Costa Rica and eventually to New York.  In this American city, he taught painting, drawing and designed buildings and monuments, such as the first tomb of Jose Marti and the medallion of the pantheon erected to Federico Capdevila, an advocate for medical students shot by the Spaniards.



José Bofill, Callejón Colonial, acuarela (water color)



At this stage, in his creative work, he made portraits honoring outstanding figures of the Independence, which were drawn or sold by the delegations of the Cuban Revolutionary Party to swell its funds.

In May 1898, he returned to Santiago de Cuba and is appointed by the Mayor Don Emilio Bacardi Moreau, as director of the museum created by him, and which happened to be the first museum  founded in the country. Bofill presided over the section of visual arts of the Athenaeum of the city and promoted many cultural activities, along with prominent personalities from the intelligentsia from Santiago.

In 1912, he joined the National Academy of Arts and Letters, and attended as a delegate to the National Congress of Art in 1930.  He was awarded the gold medal of the Cuban Marine Companies, and subsequently was awarded the degree of admiral of the order of nautical merit.  He was also a member of the Association of Artists of Oriente. In addition to his artwork and his work as specialist in museums, he delved into the art of modeling.  After his retirement, he was appointed Honorary Director of the Emilio Bacardí museum and library Elvira Cape.  Jose Bofill Cayol died on October 20th, 1946 and served as the curator of the Emilio Bacardi Museum until his death.

Today, the replica of an alley in Santiago from the colonial era designed by him very deservedly bears his name. This one showcases a side of the museum.

However, we, the people from Santiago de Cuba, owe a great debt to his memory.  His extensive work, deserves the appreciation and admiration of the present generation, and an appreciation for his contribution to the visual arts and to the protection of our cultural heritage.