Baconao
Encyclopedia
Baconao Park is a large park region, located about 20 kilometers away from the city of Santiago de Cuba
, with a total surface of 848.57 km² (327.6 sq mi).
The name Baconao is related to the name of a little native that lived in the south of Cuba
during the pre-Columbian
period. Legend mentions a magical tree, called bacona, that allowed the kid to play music from the lagoon's snails.
This little Cuban was known for his fishing and swimming skills, as well as playing Batos (Cuban original baseball game).
The kid used to sit under the bacona tree to play music from his snail. Everybody in the village was fascinated, and thought that the ability to play the music was a gift from the magical tree. Therefore, they began to call the kid Baconao.
One day, the young boy left the village for a trip, and never came back. The villagers believed that the kid's magic returned to the trees, and as time passed, the whole area got the name Baconao.
In 1987, it was declared a World Heritage Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO
.
The park contains a variety of attractions beside wildlife refuge
s and coffee
plantation
s.
Great Rock (Gran Piedra)
The Great Rock is a large rock of volcanic
origin, measuring 51 m (167.3 ft) long, 25 m (82 ft) high, and 30 m (98.4 ft) wide. Its estimated weight
is more than 63 thousand ton
s.
It is possible to climb 459 stone steps to the summit of the rock
, and stand 1,234 meters above sea level
for a panoramic view. It is said that on a dark night one can see the lights of Jamaica
.
Prehistoric Valley
In the Valle de la Prehistoria visitors encounter dozen
s of life-size model dinosaur
s sculpted
in stone
and other prehistoric
creatures lurking in lush vegetation.
Farm (Granjita Siboney)
The farm is the place where the attackers of the Moncada Barracks
(Cuartel Moncada) led by Fidel Castro
, spent the night prior to the attack on July 26, 1953.
Botanical Garden
There is also a 0.45 km² (0.173745971366641 sq mi) garden
, called Jardin Ave de Paraiso, dating from 1860, that was laid out on a former coffee
plantation and features a series of colour-coded gardens with unique scents and displays in each.
Museum of History of Terrestrial Transport
The museum displays over 2,500 small-scale car replica
s.
Aquarium
The aquarium
is 30 m (98.4 ft) deep, and has a submarine
tunnel, and a Dolphin
arium.
Baconao Lagoon
The lagoon
has an area of 4 km² (1.5 sq mi). There is also a reproduction of a Taíno
Village
, and a restaurant specialized in seafood
.
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
, with a total surface of 848.57 km² (327.6 sq mi).
History
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...
during the pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
period. Legend mentions a magical tree, called bacona, that allowed the kid to play music from the lagoon's snails.
This little Cuban was known for his fishing and swimming skills, as well as playing Batos (Cuban original baseball game).
The kid used to sit under the bacona tree to play music from his snail. Everybody in the village was fascinated, and thought that the ability to play the music was a gift from the magical tree. Therefore, they began to call the kid Baconao.
One day, the young boy left the village for a trip, and never came back. The villagers believed that the kid's magic returned to the trees, and as time passed, the whole area got the name Baconao.
In 1987, it was declared a World Heritage Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
.
Attractions
Wildlife refuge
A wildlife refuge, also called a wildlife sanctuary, may be a naturally occurring sanctuary, such as an island, that provides protection for species from hunting, predation or competition, or it may refer to a protected area, a geographic territory within which wildlife is protected...
s and coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s.
Great Rock (Gran Piedra)
The Great Rock is a large rock of volcanic
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
origin, measuring 51 m (167.3 ft) long, 25 m (82 ft) high, and 30 m (98.4 ft) wide. Its estimated weight
Weight
In science and engineering, the weight of an object is the force on the object due to gravity. Its magnitude , often denoted by an italic letter W, is the product of the mass m of the object and the magnitude of the local gravitational acceleration g; thus:...
is more than 63 thousand ton
Ton
The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...
s.
It is possible to climb 459 stone steps to the summit of the rock
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
, and stand 1,234 meters above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
for a panoramic view. It is said that on a dark night one can see the lights of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
.
Prehistoric Valley
In the Valle de la Prehistoria visitors encounter dozen
Dozen
A dozen is a grouping of approximately twelve. The dozen may be one of the earliest primitive groupings, perhaps because there are approximately a dozen cycles of the moon or months in a cycle of the sun or year...
s of life-size model dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s sculpted
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
in stone
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
and other prehistoric
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
creatures lurking in lush vegetation.
Farm (Granjita Siboney)
The farm is the place where the attackers of the 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...
(Cuartel Moncada) led by 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...
, spent the night prior to the attack on July 26, 1953.
Botanical Garden
There is also a 0.45 km² (0.173745971366641 sq mi) garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
, called Jardin Ave de Paraiso, dating from 1860, that was laid out on a former coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
plantation and features a series of colour-coded gardens with unique scents and displays in each.
Museum of History of Terrestrial Transport
The museum displays over 2,500 small-scale car replica
Replica
A replica is a copy closely resembling the original concerning its shape and appearance. An inverted replica complements the original by filling its gaps. It can be a copy used for historical purposes, such as being placed in a museum. Sometimes the original never existed. For example, Difference...
s.
Aquarium
The aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
is 30 m (98.4 ft) deep, and has a submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
tunnel, and a Dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
arium.
Baconao Lagoon
The lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
has an area of 4 km² (1.5 sq mi). There is also a reproduction of a Taíno
Taíno people
The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak people of South America...
Village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
, and a restaurant specialized in seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
.
External links
- About Cuba - Baconao Park
- DTCuba - Baconao Park