CubaPLUS Magazine

One of the most famous enclaves in the country is the community where, since the 17th century, the later main sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, patron saint of Catholic believers in the nation, which is located in the vicinity of the city of Santiago de Cuba, in the province of the same name, on the so-called Cerro Cardenillo, in the foothills of the Sierra Maestra.

Pilgrimage site for thousands of Cubans and veneration paid to the saint, crowned by the Vatican as patron saint, being one of the invocations of the sacred Virgin Mary, our compatriots usually treat her as you, pamper her, kneel before her, make decisive promises with great faith, and they even sing guarachas to her and not only sacred songs and dance salsa thinking of her.

That is why it has never been disrespectful to call her Cachita, using the popular diminutive of the name Caridad in these parts. The independentists also proudly called her La Virgen Mambisa, as she accompanied them in the fervor of the anti-colonial struggle on many battlefronts during the 19th century.

In Afro-Cuban cults she is identified as Ochún, she possesses special attributes of the national idiosyncrasy. But the Copper Mines of Santiago del Prado -first name- have always been linked to the history of Cuba and the slaves who worked there, under onerous conditions, were the first in the country to earn the right to freedom, due to a Royal Edict  issued in 1801 by the metropolis, thanks to the incessant struggles and rebellions carried out by those unfortunates who were savagely exploited.

Since 1997, the Cimarrón Monument has also been erected there, the work of renowned Santiago artist Alberto Lescay. With this rebellion to achieve freedom, many men escaped from the yoke and settled in palenques located in remote places, inaccessible to their masters. Others became martyrs in the attempt.