Bayamo

Bayamo, the capital of Granma Province, descends from one of Spain's first seven villas: the 1513 settlement of Villa de San Salvador de Bayamo, which was near present-day Yara before being moved to its current location. The few photos of the city that remain from the mid-19th century suggest a town that looked remarkably like Central Cuba's colonial gem, Trinidad. Alas, little evidence persists of Bayamo's colonial beginnings. In 1869, the townspeople burned their beloved city to the ground rather than let it fall into Spanish hands during the Ten Years' War in the ultimate in scorched-earth war tactics. What exists today is a pleasant, small city with many structures that date from the early 20th century.