Island of Revolution GA Tour leg 2

Leg 2 — MUCL → MUCM Varadero → Camagüey

Head inland toward central Cuba.

Sugar, Slavery, and Expansion

Cuba’s economy grew rapidly through sugar production, becoming one of the world’s largest exporters in the 18th and 19th centuries.

This growth came at a cost — driven heavily by enslaved labor and later by large agricultural estates.

Camagüey, one of Cuba’s oldest cities, reflects this period of expansion and wealth.

The wealth of the island increased —

but so did inequality and unrest.