Located in the Sierra Maestra, the General Commandery of La Plata was declared a National Monument in 1978 by the National Monuments Commission.
In this place, Fidel Castro decided to install the headquarters in 1958 due to the need to establish a fixed place for the hospital and Radio Rebelde after months of activity without a base of operations. From there, all the guerrilla missions were planned and messages were broadcast to the Cuban people.
To avoid being located from the air, all the buildings were built without leveling the land or cutting down trees, which gives it that mountain look and charm that lovers of ecological tourism like. Thus, the thick forest managed to successfully camouflage any sign of the rebels' presence in it. You can still see the 16 simple buildings strategically placed in forest clearings hidden by tall, leafy branches.
The hospital was located far enough down the hill, down a separate road, that the wounded could not reveal the true location of the camp.
The excursion is completed with the small museum located at the beginning of the complex where you can learn about what life was like inside the enclosure through photographs and maps. You can see Fidel's House with its seven escape routes prepared in case the whereabouts of the revolutionary leader were discovered and you can follow the path that leads to the place from which Radio Rebelde was transmitting.
In the General Command of La Plata, the First Agrarian Reform Law was signed on May 17, 1959 and the first property titles of the Sierra were granted to peasants. It is not easy to get there, but with proper clothing and footwear, water and a guide, the experience becomes something unique.