Matanzas is the second largest province in Cuba. It was a province that has held both strategic and economic importance throughout Cuba’s history. Not only was it the main area of defense during the Spanish-Cuban War, the area also had a vast amount of sugar mills and operated as a main hub within the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Matanzas is one of the only places in Cuba where all African cultures meet. Approximately 1.3 million slaves passed through Matanzas, with approximately 200,000 a year recorded at the height of the Transatlantic slave trade. These figures should likely be trebled given the fact that thousands of enslaved persons were not recorded upon their arrival in Matanzas. The rebel spirit ran deep within enslaved peoples all throughout Matanzas. Carlota, an enslaved woman, rebelled against her master and although the attempt was unsuccessful, her courage and valor sparked the uprising at surrounding sugar mills in Matanzas Province. Those who were enslaved continued to rebel by finding creative and innovative ways to resist, especially by keeping their sacred traditions and practices during this oppressive time period. Some of these ways included identifying a saint from the Catholic faith and matching it up with the Orisha god from African religions that had similar traits. Now, hundreds of years later, Matanzas is embracing its African heritage through the city’s consistent dedication to the preservation of art, culture, and history. Matanzas, a cultural epicenter for Cuba in a similar way Athens was for Greece, has museums, sculptures, and street art that pay homage to the African roots of its citizens. Matanzas is a historical wonder and is definitely a must-add to any upcoming travel lists.