Casa de Estrada Palma

Bayamo

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Cuba's first post-independence president, Tomás Estrada Palma, was born here in 1835. One-time friend of José Martí, Estrada Palma was disgraced post-Revolution for his perceived complicity with the US over the Platt Amendment. His birth house is now the seat of Uneac (Unión Nacional de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba; National Union of Cuban Writers and Artists).

You'll find little about the famous former occupant inside, but the courtyard contains a palm (dating from 1837) that would (probably) have come into contact with Palma.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Statue of Perucho Figueredo at the Cespedes Park at the Bayamo, Cuba. Perucho Figueredo was a poet, musician and revolutionary in the 19th century. He wrote the cuban national anthem in 1867.

    Parque Céspedes

    0.19 MILES

    One of Cuba's leafiest squares, Bayamo's central meeting point is surrounded by pedestrian-only streets, making it a rare and peaceful spot. In addition…

  • Santo Domingo

    Santo Domingo

    28.04 MILES

    This tiny village nestles in a deep green valley beside the deliciously clean Río Yara. Communally it provides a wonderful slice of peaceful Cuban…

  • Casa Natal de Carlos Manuel de Céspedes

    Casa Natal de Carlos Manuel de Céspedes

    0.24 MILES

    Birthplace of the 'father of the motherland,' this museum is where Céspedes was born (on April 18, 1819) and spent his first 12 years. Inside, Céspedes…

  • Jardín Botánico de Cupaynicu

    Jardín Botánico de Cupaynicu

    7.92 MILES

    For a floral appreciation of Bayamo's evergreen hinterland, head to this botanic garden about 16km outside the city off the Guisa road. It's on very few…

  • Fabrica de los Coches

    Fabrica de los Coches

    0.7 MILES

    It's worth the jaunt to observe the goings-on at Cuba's only handcrafted coche (horse cart) production line. Most horse carts you'll see in Cuba are metal…

  • Alto del Naranjo

    Alto del Naranjo

    29.22 MILES

    All trips into the park begin at the end of the near-vertical, corrugated-concrete access road at Alto del Naranjo (after Villa Santo Domingo the road…

  • Paseo Bayamés

    Paseo Bayamés

    0.13 MILES

    Bayamo's main shopping street was pedestrianized in the 1990s and reconfigured with benches and funky artwork. At its southern end you'll find wax museum…

  • Museo de Cera

    Museo de Cera

    0.15 MILES

    The tiny Museo de Cera, Bayamo’s diminutive version of Madame Tussauds, has convincing waxworks of Cuban personalities such as Polo Montañez, Benny Moré…

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Nearby Bayamo attractions

1. Ventana de Luz Vázquez

0.02 MILES

A forerunner of the national anthem, cowritten by Céspedes (and, confusingly, also called 'La Bayamesa') was first sung from here on March 27, 1851. A…

2. Paseo Bayamés

0.13 MILES

Bayamo's main shopping street was pedestrianized in the 1990s and reconfigured with benches and funky artwork. At its southern end you'll find wax museum…

3. Museo de Cera

0.15 MILES

The tiny Museo de Cera, Bayamo’s diminutive version of Madame Tussauds, has convincing waxworks of Cuban personalities such as Polo Montañez, Benny Moré…

5. Parque Céspedes

0.19 MILES

One of Cuba's leafiest squares, Bayamo's central meeting point is surrounded by pedestrian-only streets, making it a rare and peaceful spot. In addition…

6. Ayuntamiento

0.2 MILES

In 1868 Céspedes proclaimed Cuba's independence for the first time in front of the columned Ayuntamiento.

7. Capilla de la Dolorosa

0.22 MILES

This is the one original section of Bayamo's main church to survive the 1869 fire. It sports a gilded wooden altar.

8. Catedral de San Salvador de Bayamo

0.22 MILES

There's been a church on this site since 1514. The current edifice dates from 1740 but was devastated in the 1869 fire, so much of what you see results…