Sierra Maestra
Encyclopedia
Sierra Maestra is a mountain range
that runs westward across the south of the old Oriente Province from what is now Guantánamo Province
to Niquero http://www.guije.com/pueblo/municipios/oniquero/index.htm in southeast Cuba
, rising abruptly from the coast. Some view it as a series of connecting ranges (Vela, Santa Catalina, Quemado Grande, Daña Mariana)http://www.guije.com/pueblo/municipios/oguantanamo/index.htm, which joins with others extending to the west. http://www.guije.com/pueblo/municipios/ocaney/index.htm http://www.guije.com/pueblo/municipios/obayamo/index.htm http://www.guije.com/pueblo/municipios/ocobre/index.htmhttp://www.guije.com/pueblo/municipios/omanzanillo/index.htmhttp://www.guije.com/pueblo/municipios/oniquero/index.htm The Sierra Maestra is the highest system of Cuba. It is rich in minerals, especially copper
, manganese
, chromium
, and iron
. At 6,650 ft (1,999 m), Pico Turquino
is the range's highest point.
rides on a separate tectonic plate, which originally was in the Pacific Ocean but (after crossing between the then separated Americas) crashed into Florida
. This along with several other violent events (including volcanic activity, the crash of the comet Chicxulub
, and earthquakes the Sierra Maestra is immediately north of the Bartlett Deep, or Cayman Trench on the main Caribbean Plate
) fractured huge slabs of rocks.
Enormous tsunamis presumably from the volcanoes on the Canary Islands
carved great steps on the coast. All this caused emergence of these mountains in a complex process that included lifting up of now cave-ridden calcareous deposits, and the development of the Bartlett Deep or Cayman Trough
. Originally heavily forested and divided by deep river valleys, volcanic dykes, and impassable karst
areas, its steep valleys and abrupt fault lines make it an ideal terrain for rebellion.
, the Cimarrón Neo-Taíno nations
escaped slave cultures, the Ten Years' War
and the Cuban War of Independence
, and various minor conflicts such as the Race War of 1912
, and Antonio Guiteras
's uprisings against Gerardo Machado
and Fulgencio Batista
. After Fidel Castro
returned to Cuba from exile in Mexico
, he and the few other survivors from the failed attack on Moncada Barracks
hid out in Sierra Maestra. They were able to expand the 26th of July Movement
, starting a revolution throughout the region. They built up guerrilla columns, and in collaboration with other groups in the central provinces, Escopeteros
on the foot hills and plains, and the urban resistance, eventually overthrew Fulgencio Batista
.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
that runs westward across the south of the old Oriente Province from what is now Guantánamo Province
Guantánamo Province
Guantánamo is the easternmost province of Cuba. Its capital is also called Guantánamo. Other towns include Baracoa. The province surrounds the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.-History:...
to Niquero http://www.guije.com/pueblo/municipios/oniquero/index.htm in southeast Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, rising abruptly from the coast. Some view it as a series of connecting ranges (Vela, Santa Catalina, Quemado Grande, Daña Mariana)http://www.guije.com/pueblo/municipios/oguantanamo/index.htm, which joins with others extending to the west. http://www.guije.com/pueblo/municipios/ocaney/index.htm http://www.guije.com/pueblo/municipios/obayamo/index.htm http://www.guije.com/pueblo/municipios/ocobre/index.htmhttp://www.guije.com/pueblo/municipios/omanzanillo/index.htmhttp://www.guije.com/pueblo/municipios/oniquero/index.htm The Sierra Maestra is the highest system of Cuba. It is rich in minerals, especially copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, manganese
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
, chromium
Chromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
, and iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
. At 6,650 ft (1,999 m), Pico Turquino
Pico Turquino
Pico Turquino is the highest point in Cuba. It is located in the southeast part of the island, in the Sierra Maestra mountain range in Santiago de Cuba Province....
is the range's highest point.
Orography
CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
rides on a separate tectonic plate, which originally was in the Pacific Ocean but (after crossing between the then separated Americas) crashed into Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. This along with several other violent events (including volcanic activity, the crash of the comet Chicxulub
Chicxulub
Chicxulub may refer to:*Chicxulub crater, on the Yucatán Peninsula, in Mexico*Chicxulub, Yucatán, a town...
, and earthquakes the Sierra Maestra is immediately north of the Bartlett Deep, or Cayman Trench on the main Caribbean Plate
Caribbean Plate
The Caribbean Plate is a mostly oceanic tectonic plate underlying Central America and the Caribbean Sea off the north coast of South America....
) fractured huge slabs of rocks.
Enormous tsunamis presumably from the volcanoes on the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
carved great steps on the coast. All this caused emergence of these mountains in a complex process that included lifting up of now cave-ridden calcareous deposits, and the development of the Bartlett Deep or Cayman Trough
Cayman Trough
The Cayman Trough, is a complex transform fault zone pull apart basin which contains a small spreading ridge on the floor of the western Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and the Cayman Islands...
. Originally heavily forested and divided by deep river valleys, volcanic dykes, and impassable karst
Karst topography
Karst topography is a geologic formation shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite, but has also been documented for weathering resistant rocks like quartzite given the right conditions.Due to subterranean drainage, there...
areas, its steep valleys and abrupt fault lines make it an ideal terrain for rebellion.
History
The Sierra Maestra has a long history of guerrilla warfare, starting with the resistance of the Taínos under GuamáGuamá
Guamá was a Taíno rebel chief who led a rebellion against Spanish rule in Cuba in the 1530s.After the death of Spanish governor Diego de Velázquez there was a series of indigenous uprisings...
, the Cimarrón Neo-Taíno nations
Neo-Taíno nations
Neo-Taino nations are defined here as the assorted nations of the Caribbean islands, that together with the Tainos, were described on the arrival of European chroniclers or which arose after this historic record was established.-Introduction:...
escaped slave cultures, the Ten Years' War
Ten Years' War
The Ten Years' War , also known as the Great War and the War of '68, began on October 10, 1868 when sugar mill owner Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and his followers proclaimed Cuba's independence from Spain...
and the Cuban War of Independence
Cuban War of Independence
Cuban War of Independence was the last of three liberation wars that Cuba fought against Spain, the other two being the Ten Years' War and the Little War...
, and various minor conflicts such as the Race War of 1912
Partido Independiente de Color
The Partido Independiente de Color was a Cuban political party composed almost entirely of African former slaves. It was founded in 1908 by African veterans of the Cuban War of Independence. In 1912, the PIC led a revolt in the eastern province of Oriente. The revolt was crushed and the party...
, and Antonio Guiteras
Antonio Guiteras
Antonio Guiteras y Holmes was a leading politician in Cuba during the 1930s....
's uprisings against Gerardo Machado
Gerardo Machado
Gerardo Machado y Morales was President of Cuba and a general of the Cuban War of Independence...
and Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the United States-aligned Cuban President, dictator and military leader who served as the leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1944 and from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution....
. After Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
returned to Cuba from exile in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, he and the few other survivors from the failed attack on Moncada Barracks
Moncada Barracks
The Moncada Barracks was a military barracks in Santiago de Cuba, named after General Guillermón Moncada, a hero of the War of Independence. On July 26, 1953, the barracks was the site of an armed attack by a small group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro. This armed attack is widely accepted...
hid out in Sierra Maestra. They were able to expand the 26th of July Movement
26th of July Movement
The 26th of July Movement was the revolutionary organization planned and led by Fidel Castro that in 1959 overthrew the Fulgencio Batista government in Cuba...
, starting a revolution throughout the region. They built up guerrilla columns, and in collaboration with other groups in the central provinces, Escopeteros
Escopeteros
Escopeteros in its original usage means those armed with a smoothbore long barrel firearm, sometimes a trabuco or blunderbuss, and has been used in this general context in histories of Spain and Latin America . It has been used to describe a pitcher in baseball e.g. , or a sniping journalist...
on the foot hills and plains, and the urban resistance, eventually overthrew Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the United States-aligned Cuban President, dictator and military leader who served as the leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1944 and from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution....
.
See also
- Geography of CubaGeography of CubaCuba is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. Cuba has a total area of . It has of coastline and of land borders — all figures including the United States territory at Guantánamo Bay, where the U.S...
- Music in the Sierra Maestra
External links
- Cuba's Revolutionary Mountains by Zoë Barnes, The Sunday Times, March 15, 2009