MAYABEQUE PROVINCE
One of the two provinces with a most recent constitution in Mayabeque, Cuba, is established with the latest political-administrative division of 2010. With a total area of 3 432 km
2, it is one of the provinces of smaller territorial extension. His name Aboriginal origin is due to main tributary that bathes its territory, of great importance in the development of the region.
At the mouth of this, the Spanish colonizer available Diego Velázquez, the Villa of San Cristobal de La Habana before being moved to its present location was established. Therefore, in the coat of arms mayabequeño municipality of Melena del Sur you can still read the motto: Hic est condita cousin Havana, Latin phrase expressing the early founding of the capital in the area.
The regional economy is marked agroindustrial character, highlighting the cultivation of sugar cane and several tubers. However, in recent years the livestock sector has grown significantly, driven mainly by the huge domestic demand for dairy products. Other activities are flourishing fossil fuel extraction, located along the north coast of the province, and power generation. On the other hand, the geographical features of this area are strongly conditioned by the Havana-Matanzas Plain; because of its beautiful contours of low relief and less abundant wildlife.
What to visit?
Escaleras de Jaruco "Jaruco´s Stairs"
The busiest tourist site in Mayabeque is Escaleras de Jaruco "Jaruco´s Stairs", place of great reputation among the most demanding international tourism for its bucolic landscapes. In the center of it is the namesake natural park, whose most distinctive features are the dense vegetation and faunal diversity, recognized for having one of the highest rates of
endemism of the Cuban western region.
Possessing large cave sets and unique geological formations, this place has become in recent years one of the speleological priority destinations in the region.
Beside this, it has marked a great interest among the anthropological community by the presence of two important archaeological sites: Loma del Jagüey and Los Chorritos, testimonies of the transcendent pre-Columbian presence in the region.
Bacunayagua Bridge
Near Jibacoa are
the lookout and the famous bridge Bacunayagua, t
he longest (314 m) and
high (103 m) of Cuba, considered one of the wonders of civil engineering
in the country.
All these conditions make Mayabeque, despite its recent establishment, whether a territory with great tourism potential.
Playa de Jibacoa
Coastal benefits of Jibacoa, a region bathed by the warm waters of the Caribbean, make it another privileged location in the north shore in Cuba. Jibacoa beach could be within the best in the country, and also among the most visited due to its abundant camping facilities, attended by thousands of Cubans every year during the summer period. Coast place exhibits some of the most beautiful seabeds, hence it is a day off must for those who enjoy diving in its various forms.
Jibacoa beach, white sand and warm, calm waters, is a further guarantee for beach tourism in Cuba.
The normally tranquil Jibacoa beach where is celebrated the festival of electronic music, Rotilla each year.
Hershey´s Gardens
Jibacoa is bordered on the west by Santa Cruz del Norte, another coastal town of the region, whose lands are the electric railway Hershey and the central renowned sugar Camilo Cienfuegos, which before 1959 belonged to the chocolate company in Philadelphia Hershey's, which employed Cuban sugar as an ingredient for their products.