Playa Larga – when the name says it all

Playa Larga is located in the south of the province of Matanzas in the famous Bay of Pigs, which is part of the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to endless, both rocky and sandy beaches, the Bay of Pigs is world famous for its failed American invasion of Cuba. In 1961, the US CIA trained some 1,500 opponents of the Cuban Revolution, which ousted President Batista in 1959, whom Cubans resented mainly for being second-class citizens in Cuba and some almost slaves, and for pouring most of their wealth abroad, especially in the US, while most people lived without health care, education and in very poor conditions and worked for foreign owners for a miserable salary. The revolution was soon followed by the nationalization of industry and agriculture, which was largely owned by US companies, and it was the loss of American influence and property on the idyllic Caribbean island that led to the US CIA training fugitive supporters of the previous regime to ensure that the Cubans can hardly wait for the return of the previous rulers. But the only ones sued under the previous regime were the few wealthy people who lost their property during nationalization, and the vast majority of the population supported the Cuban revolution. The expectations of the counter-revolutionaries and the US were therefore completely utopian and so the invasion of the Bay of Pigs completely failed and soon all the captured invaders were returned by Cuba in return for war reparations from the US. It is also interesting to choose the Bay of Pigs for invasion, as it is located on the south side of Cuba. The United States knew that Cuba was ready for a possible direct attack from Florida on Havana, or the north coast, which is so close to south Florida that they could see light from Miami on clear nights. So, they decided to attack in the Bay of Pigs, where they expected a warm welcome from the local population, who would join them on the way to Havana in carrying out a coup. But the Cubans unanimously resisted the invasion. All information about this invasion is accessible in the Giron Museum, located a half-hour drive southwest of Playa Larga. After this slightly long historical introduction, in the next issue, I invite you to explore the Bay of Pigs and the over 4,000 km2 area of Ciénaga de Zapata, the largest of the 14 municipalities in the province of Matanzas. #summerbreak