CubaPLUS Magazine

The lighthouses of Cuba are considered today an important part of our national heritage, due to the insular condition of our territory, rather a large archipelago located in the middle of the North Atlantic American basin, and due to the essential maritime navigation guide service.

Provided in a region with high commercial and cruise traffic, the story goes that the construction of lighthouses only began to be carried out rigorously by the authorities of the Spanish metropolis, from the mid-nineteenth century after a large number of lighthouses had been shipwrecked or stranded on the country's coasts, from the end of the 16th century.

The current number of lighthouses distributed on the north and south coasts of the country exceeds 30 towers, all equipped with modern equipment, although many were built in the colonial period. They are quite famous within the region where they are located, in which some are a symbol, adorned by local history and legends.

At the national level there are many that stand out for their particular qualities, and they fill us with pride.In this short chronicle, the names of some of the most famous lighthouses in Cuba, located in some cases in high-ranking colonial military fortresses or in natural esplanades, surrounded by wild landscapes of incredible beauty and the magical blue of our vibrant coasts, energized bybreezes and land, thus, the lighthouse located in the Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro is an emblem of the city of Havana, next to which the most beautiful flag of the lone star in the world flies, turning that place, right at the entrance of the uniquebay of the capital, in a kind of wonderful and comforting vision, a classic tourist, travel postcard of the legendary Cuban city.

The lighthouses of Punta de Maisí, in the easternmost part, where the colonizing and founding process of Hispanic cities began, and the one located in Cabo de San Antonio, in its antipodes to the western region, cannot be ignored in this select synthesis.

From where conqueror Hernán Cortés said goodbye to Cuba when he left in 1519 to subdue Mexico-Tenochtitlán.Land of landings of corsairs and pirates in past centuries, the also called Roncali Lighthouse is famous throughout the nation.

Of course, there is the Vargaso of Cabo Cruz Lighthouse, in the western part of the Sierra Maestra, where Christopher Columbus left one of his 29 crosses, of which no material trace remains, except  for the mention in his Diary.Today there is a beautiful fishing village there, a meteorological station for the province of Granma, subordinated to the national scientific institution, and it is a place rich in wildlife and marine life, especially the protected species of the green turtle.

The Paredón Grande Lighthouse is valued as a work of architecture and engineering of high technical rigour, which serves the entire central area of the island, from its enclave north of the province of Ciego de Ávila and belongs to the archipelago Jardinesdel Rey, paradisiacal tourist emporium of great national relevance.

Punta Lucrecia Lighthouse, or simply Lucrecia Lighthouse, was inaugurated on the same day that Carlos Manuel de Céspedes began the 100-year struggle at his La Demajagua sugar mill, on October 10, 1868.

It is one of the 100 most important lighthouses in the world because it  lies in a unique geographical position, at the most salient end between the Naranjo and Nipe bays. Thus our top list, for the moment, of Faros de Cuba.