La Demajagua National Park
20°16′56″N 77°10′39″W / 20.282201076270734°N 77.17759178166969°W
| La Demajagua National Park | |
|---|---|
Ruins of Ingenio La Demajagua | |
| Type | National Park |
| Location | Granma Province |
| Nearest city | Manzanillo |
| Coordinates | 20°16′56″N 77°10′39″W / 20.282201076270734°N 77.17759178166969°W |
| Area | 0.5 Km2 |
| Opened | October 10, 1968 |
| Founder | |
| Designer | Mario García Menocal, 1918 |
| Owned by | Government of Cuba |
| Operated by | Municipal Office of Monuments and Historical Sites of Manzanillo |
La Demajagua National Park is a National Park located in Granma Province (formerly Oriente Province), about 12 kilometers from the city of Manzanillo, and is one of Cuba’s most important historic sites. It marks the location of the former Ingenio La Demajagua sugar mill, where, on October 10, 1868, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes freed his slaves and launched the first armed uprising against Spanish colonial rule. This act initiated the Ten Years’ War, the first of a series of Cuban wars for independence from Spain. The date is considered the symbolic beginning of the Cuban independence movement and also of the abolitionist cause in the country. The site contains the remains of the sugar mill, including large metal gears and fragments of its original structure. It was named after the majagua plant (hibiscus elatus), which is a common plant in Cuba used for wood products and the binding of Cuban cigars.
There is a town of approximately 400 inhabitants, also called La Demajagua, located within the borders of the park, a few blocks away from the historical monuments.