Pico Turquino (), sometimes erroneously spelled as Pico Torquino, is the
highest point
A list of highest points typically contains the name, elevation, and location of the highest point in each of a set of geographical regions. Such a list is important in the sport of highpointing. A partial list of highpoint lists is below:
World ...
in
Cuba. It is located in the southeast part of the island, in the
Sierra Maestra mountain range in the municipality of
Guamá,
Santiago de Cuba Province.
Etymology
The name is believed to be a
corruption
Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...
of the phrase for "
turquoise peak" ( es, ), so-named for its apparent blue hues seen by the heights in certain views.
History
The peak was first mentioned (under the name "Tarquino") on a map drawn by
Geert de Kremer in the late 16th century. The first documented ascent of the peak was in 1860 by Fred W. Ramsden, a twenty-year-old Englishman then living in Santiago de Cuba. The climb was not widely publicized at the time. In 1915 the Swedish botanist
Erik Leonard Ekman climbed the mountain and speculated that he was probably the first person to have done so. The following year, in response, Ramsden's son published a letter his father had written to his own mother describing the original ascent.
A bust of
José Martí sculpted by
Jilma Madera
Jilma Madera (September 18, 1915 – February 21, 2000) was a well-known Cuban sculptor. Her two most famous works are the Christ of Havana and the bust of José Martí at the Pico Turquino.
Born in La Victoria, Pinar del Río, Cuba, she studied ...
was placed on the peak in 1953 to celebrate his centenary.
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
and his soldiers summitted the peak in 1957 during their
insurgency. According to
Che Guevara, Castro's second-in-command, the mountain had an "almost mystical significance" to the revolutionaries, chiefly due to it being the highest point in Cuba.
[Ernesto Che Guevara. "Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War".]
Conservation
Turquino National Park is established on a area around the peak.
See also
*
Uvero
Uvero, also known as El Uvero, is a Cuban village and ''consejo popular'' ("people's council", i.e. hamlet) of the municipality of Guamá, in Santiago de Cuba Province. In 2011 it had a population of 2,581.
History
The toponym derives from the ...
References
External links
Turquino
Geography of Santiago de Cuba Province
Highest points of countries
{{Cuba-geo-stub