History | Cayo Largo, Cuba

History of Cayo Largo del Sur

Here is a summary of some events that have marked the past of this small island over the last centuries, until it becomes the tourist center we know today. Now thousands of vacationers per year are attracted by the wild beauty of this place where time seems to have stopped.

Early inhabitants

The human presence on the "long key of the south" goes back to the era of the indigenous peoples since they found some remains testifying to the presence of the group "Guayabo Blanco" belonging to the Siboney culture. Tools and instruments made from the shell of “strombus gigas” (queen conch) were discovered in residues found at three locations in Cayo Largo del Sur. This hunter-gatherer people were also excellent navigators and were constantly traveling around the Canarreos archipelago. It was determined that they knew fire and were living in the open air.

Passage of Christopher Columbus

After consulting the numerous writings relating the events of the second voyage of Admiral Cristobal Colon to Cuba in 1494, it appears that after having spent twelve days on "San Juan La Evangelista" island (now Isla de la Juventud), on his return trip east to reach the port of Jagua (now Bahia de Cienfuegos), he would have visited Cayo Largo del Sur to do a mass there.

Visit of pirates and privateers, and runaway slaves

The uninhabited island of Cayo Largo was a haven for pirates and privateers who sailed the Caribbean Sea from the 15th to the early 18th century. To name just a few of them, we can talk about the visits of the Englishman John Hawkins from 1565, accompanied by the famous Francis Drake; as well as the presence of the French Jean Lafitte and Latrobe in 1819. Cayo Largo was also visited many times by the famous pirate José Rives, better known as "Pepe El Mallorquin", and his assistant Andres Gonzales, famous privateer from the Isla de Los Pinos (now Isla de la Juventud). Also remains in memory the presence of Henry Morgan when he went to Puerto Principe (now Camaguey) to loot the city in 1666, or when he kept its treasures on these shores. Cayo Largo also witnessed the battle of the Dutchman Lorenzo de Craff who fought against Spanish galleons off its coast. One can still see the wrecks of some old boats through the sand and coral beds surrounding Cayo Largo. Another vestige of this period is a cross that had been erected by one of the pirates passing on the island, as a symbol of conquest and imposition of their habits and customs.

Years later, slaves fleeing Spanish colonialism took refuge in Cayo Largo. A group of sugar cane plantation workers from the Matanzas region fled to the Ciénaga de Zapata (on the Zapata Peninsula). Later, sailing south in canoes, they discover the peaceful and remote island of Cayo Largo. While pacing its beaches, they discover the cross erected by the pirates on the beach area called today Playa Blanca. Legend has it that they practiced a blessing ritual according to their rites and beliefs (fruits of a religious syncretism), and entrusted to this cross the mission to protect this land. This story will spread beyond the Cayo, and at the beginning of the construction of the first infrastructures in 1961, the cross was moved to where it still stands today (main square of Pueblo Isla del Sol). The founders of this new tourist center said that it should not be touched, let alone be overthrown. There is much talk about the legends associated with this cross, but no one would dare to question the fact that it fulfilled the mission entrusted to it by the orishas.

A forgotten island

Many years have passed without anyone being interested in the existence of this Cuban island. This abandonment was broken only from time to time by fishermen doing short stays on Cayo Largo; especially when in the years 1920's and 1930's several sons and daughters of inhabitants of the Cayman Islands came to settle south of the Isle of Pines (Isla de los Pinos), renamed later the Isle of Youth (Isla de la Juventud).

Fidel sees in the natural beauty of Cayo Largo a future tourist center

The arrival of the Cuban revolution allowed Cayo Largo del Sur to emerge from oblivion and isolation; the new commander-in-chief, Fidel Castro, being the main promoter of the use of its natural beauties for tourism. It was from August 16 to 18, 1959 that Castro visited Cayo Largo for the first time and was able to appreciate its beauty and potential. That's when the idea of making it a tourist center was born. Fidel returns to Cayo Largo in 1960 to monitor the progress of the first infrastructure works.

Cayo Largo during the Bay of Pigs invasion

In 1961, facing the imminent threat of a military invasion by Cuban exiles backed by the United States, Fidel directs the artillery for the defense of Cayo Largo del Sur, task entrusted to the commander of the rebel army of the time, Juan Vitalio Acuña Núñez (Vilo Acuña). The Cayo Largo airport will be named "Aeropuerto Vilo Acuña" in his honor. 53 mercenaries have been captured here trying to flee after the failure of this attempt to overthrow the new government established by Fidel Castro.

School and fishing cooperative

In 1961, the construction supervised by Fidel of the building to initiate tourism in Cayo Largo ends, but a lot of work to make it a tourist destination remains to be done. Since then, the facility was set up for the creation of a fishing cooperative, and was later transformed into a school where young people from all over the country were preparing for this profession. Cayo Largo is no longer the desert island of 1959, now live more than 300 sea workers.

Fidel's vision becomes reality, tourism takes off

According to the last administrative political division, Cayo Largo (which is part of the archipelago of Canarreos), will be directly supported by Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth). It is then decided to resume the project begun in 1960 to transform Cayo Largo into a world-class resort.

On February 20th 1982, the tourist center of Cayo Largo was inaugurated with the opening of its first hotel of 71 rooms, the Hotel Isla Del Sur.

Click the thumbnail to view a picture of Hotel Isla del Sur in 1982 compared to now.

In the following decades other hotels opened their doors:

Hotel Villa Caprich in ? (destroyed by Hurricane Michelle in 2001)
Hotel Villa Iguana in ? (partially destroyed by Hurricane Michelle in 2001)
Hotel Villa Coral in 1990
Hotel Pelicano in 1993 (phase 1, phase 2 a few years later)
Hotel Villa Soledad in 1996
Hotel Villa Lindamar in 1997 (almost completely rebuilt in 2002, after Hurricane Michelle)
Hotel Sol Cayo Largo in December 2000
Hotel Villa Marinera in 2003 (then expanded in 2010)
Hotel Barcelo Cayo Largo in 2003
Hotel Villa Iguana reopening in November 2016 (rebuilt and expended after being closed for 15 years)
Hotel Villa Bellarena in 2017

First organized trips to Cayo Largo

On December 17, 1984, Canadian Tolly Reviv (President of Champagne Tours and passionate about Cuba), began his operations to introduce this new destination to Quebecers, becoming the first foreign tour operator to offer organized trips to this new destination.

In the Casa Museo (museum) in Cayo Largo, you'll find an exhibit in the honor of this passionate men who contributed to strengthen the links between Canada and Cuba by bringing thousands or Quebecers to Cuba for almost 20 years.

Tolly Reviv Tolly passed away in 1996 at the age of 77. His ashes were scattered in the crystal clear waters of Cayo Largo in 1998 by her widow Helene Gagne Reviv and his son Ronald. Helene was his great love but also his faithful partner in this wonderful adventure.

In February 2002, during the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Cayo Largo as a tourist center, a tribute was paid to him by the founders, long time workers and regular clients (see link below). The next year (for the 21st anniversary of Cayo Largo), Helene got a big surprise... A beautiful ceramic plate made by artist Idilio Lopez depicting Tolly (who had the face a good pirate!) was placed at the bottom of the sea in the "Los Ballenatos" coral reef near the beautiful Playa Sirena, where Tolly loved to dive. The divers who carefully anchored the plate came back to the surface with a little treasure box containing a moving gratitude letter (link to photo album below).

Click following links to learn more about this devoted lover of Cayo Largo, whose vision and dedication will always be remembered:

Tribute to Tolly Reviv on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the tourist center of Cayo Largo on February 20th, 2002.
Ceremony in honor of Tolly Reviv in February 2003, for the 21st anniversary of the tourist center of Cayo Largo.
Article about Tolly Reviv in Granma (Cuban newspaper).
Letter from Tolly Reviv to his clients, inviting them to discover Cayo Largo.

Helene passed away in 2005, here ashes have joined those of Tolly in the Caribbean Sea, near Playa Sirena. On your next trip to Cayo Largo, have a thought for the Reviv couple!

Hurricane Michelle... and the others

It would be impossible to talk about the history of Cayo Largo without a word about hurricane Michelle, the strongest and most devastating to hit Cayo Largo since its tourist development. The hurricane hit the small island on November 4, 2001, causing the destination to close for several weeks, the closure of some hotels for several months, and the destruction of a few others. This infamous hurricane deserves a page on its own. Click the links below to learn more about:

Hurricane Michelle : a detailed timeline, aftermath, pictures, and a description of the valiant efforts undertaken to revive Cayo Largo.

Hurricanes : A history of hurricanes that affected Cayo Largo the most from 2001 to present, their aftermath, and disaster relief projects.

Sources:
Cayo Largo Casa Museo (museum)
Cuba Portal del Turismo: www.cubatravel.cu
Cayo Largo del Sur website: www.cayolargodelsur.cu
Granma newspaper: www.granma.cu