Diario las Américas., 1958-06-14
Know thv
Nei9hbori
sv ANTONIO RUIZ

CUBA The Isle of Pines, six
ty miles off the southern coast OF
Cuba, is one of the garden-spotS of
the world. 1t was diScorered by Co
lumbLs ON his second voyage to the
New World, on June 3 1894. The
aboriginal name of the island was
"Camaraco," but Columbus rech-
ristened it "The Evangelist. Lee
gend says that the pirates who in
tested the southern seas used it as
a Durying place for their stolen
treasures, and this gave Robert
Louis Stevenson the idea for his
famous novel Treasure Island"
Nature mas been generous to the
Isle Of Pines. Abundant vegetation
mountains with marbles OF a great
variety Of colorS, extensive beaches
caressed by a gentle sea, a mild eli
mate, pine forests inhabited by
many varieties Of bird, and bright
-plumaged parrots c~hattering gaily;
acres of Towering plants with bio
ssoms of every color and descrip-
ton; fruits both native and those
introduced from other countries;
rivers and springs of healing wa
ters, while always overhead is a
sky uf turquise blue, clear, ever
smiling.
Ali the elements have combined
to make this favored island a truly
pleasant place to spend a vacation
or to live all year round. The my
thical buried treasures of dead pi-
rates certainly cannot compare
with these real treasures of Nature.
For the tourist who prefers quit
surroundings, beneficial to mind
and body, this. Isle of Pinos is
ideal. Its climate, mild in the win
ter and cool in the summer, re-
freshened by the trade winds,
keeps the mean temperature from
July to September at less than 81
Degrees Fahrenheit.
The medicinal spring of the is
land enjoy wide fame, especially
those of Santa Fe. The Santa Rita
springs are noted for their radio.
activity, which has been tested by
many physicians 1t is perhaps due
to this abundance of radioactivity
that there has never been a death
from cancer in The Isle of Pines.
At NueVa Corona, Santa Fee and
Santa Barbara, the visitor finds
comfortable hotels at very reaso
nable rates. There are also cabins
available along the banks of the
rivers Las Casas and Jucaro.
Among the many attractive bea.
ches to be found along the shores
of the Isle of Pines, the two that
deserve special mention are those
OF Columpo and B~ibiiagua. Both
are located a short distance from
Nueva Corona and are much fire.
quented by residents of the town.
The beach at Columbo is noted for
its fine, golden sand, while the
sand at Bibijagus is black, due, no
doubt, to desintegration of black
marble and slate mica deposits in
the Sierra Pequena" mountain.
The North American colony at
Nueva Corona Seems to prefer this
beach. Even the sea here seems to
be more blue, while the figures of
the bathers stand out clearly
against the dark background. Boa
ting is one of the many passtimes
of the island, especially on the Las
Casas River, at the mouth of which
is the town of Nueva Corona.
Few fishing grounds are as album.
dainty supplied as those which su.
rround the island. Sponge fishing
IS also n of the industries of the
Isle OF Pines. The greater part of
the island under cultivation is laid
out IN grapefruit groves, the export
OF which constitutes one of its most
important industries. Most of the
North American residents of the
Island have devoted themselves to
the cultivation Of this fruit.
Spanish Version Page 8