Basilica of Our Lady of the Copper

This basilica in El Cobre, about 20 km from Santiago, draws its name from the region's typical copper deposits, which have been actively used since pre-Columbian times. In the basilica we can see the Virgin of Charity, patroness of Cuba. This image, which measures only 40 cm, is a must for thousands of pilgrims who make offerings. Some of them are kept in the temple like some that Ernest Hemingway left, some from outstanding athletes and even Fidel Castro's mother, who made an offering asking for divine protection for her child in the Sierra Maestra campaign.