In the Sierra Maestra, Castro revolution lives on

In the Sierra Maestra, Castro revolution lives on

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In the rugged Sierra Maestra mountains near where Fidel Castro made his hideout as he led a guerrilla uprising in the late 1950s, Cubans say they are still grateful for the land reforms and modern amenities his leftist revolution brought.

. La Plata, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini
Mountains in the Sierra Maestra as seen from La Plata.

Fidel Castro's younger brother Raul Castro, 86, steps down as president this week. His successor is likely to be 57-year-old Miguel Diaz-Canel, the first time that Communist-run Cuba has had a leader born after the 1959 revolution.

. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini
A family rest outside their home.

In Santo Domingo, the hamlet closest to the "Comandancia La Plata" where the rebels had their military headquarters, locals say they owe much to the Castros' revolution, despite an ailing economy that Raul Castro's tentative market reforms have failed to fix.

. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini
A horse stands in the mountains near Santo Domingo.

"I have a happy life: I have a place to farm; I have animals," said farmer Paulo Alvarez, 55, whose pigs, turkeys and chickens roam freely around his wooden hut, grunting and squawking. "I thank the revolution for that. It was not like this before."

Fidel Castro, who ruled for decades before handing off to his brother and who died in retirement in 2016, nationalised many large agricultural properties after coming to power, part of a sharp leftward turn that prompted many Cubans to leave the island and that sent relations with the United States into a long freeze.

. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini
A boy raises the Cuban flag during a daily ceremony held in a school.

Title to land was given free of charge to former tenant farmers, farm labourers and sharecroppers. Many farmers then joined together to work under the umbrella of state and cooperative farms.

The Cuban government also brought medical facilities, schools and paved roads to remote places like Santo Domingo, a village of several hundred inhabitants nestled in the wooded mountains by a river.

. La Plata, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini
Perez closes a window of the house where Fidel Castro lived during the Cuban revolution.

Resident Luis Enrique Perez was able to train as an English teacher, although he gave up teaching because of the low salary. Despite the revolution's achievements in social indicators like education, much of Cuba's population scrapes by on state wages, which at around $30 a month are a source of common grumbles.

Perez said he found better paid work as a guide at the Comandancia La Plata, which nowadays attracts visitors exploring Cuba's political heritage.

"I can make better money and also practise my languages with tourists, which is my passion," said Perez, as he pointed to the large bed where Fidel Castro once slept next to a window overlooking the surrounding undergrowth.

Adding a touch of authenticity, a 1950s American fridge stands in the main room with a bullet hole where it is said to have been hit by enemy fire while being carried up the mountains to the "Commandante's" hut.

. Providencia, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini
People attend the recording of an episode of the TV show "Palmas y Canas".

"Raul did many good things to Cuba in the last 10 years," he said. "He has changed the social life of the country, with cooperatives, private business, hotspots, internet, mobiles."

The younger Castro has opened up Cuba's state-run economy to private enterprise in an attempt to boost growth and trim the state payroll. A surge in tourism over the past few years has fostered that fledgling private sector.

. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini
An ox crosses the main road in Santo Domingo.

In Santo Domingo, private restaurants and bed-and-breakfasts have sprung up alongside the main road, where cows and horses saunter across nonchalantly in search of better pastures.

"Cuba would be the best place to live in the world," said Perez, "if state salaries were good enough."

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Slideshow

Farmer Javier Tamayo, 55, poses for a photograph with his grandson outside his home.
. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Farmer Javier Tamayo, 55, poses for a photograph with his grandson outside his home.

People take a break as they build a house at a farm.
. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

People take a break as they build a house at a farm.

A farmer speaks to his neighbour.
. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

A farmer speaks to his neighbour.

Ariana Alarcon (centre), 29, sitting outside her home, said: "We had more trust in Fidel. It seems to me that things are worse now. Transportation is worse and prices are higher."
. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Ariana Alarcon (centre), 29, sitting outside her home, said: "We had more trust in Fidel. It seems to me that things are worse now. Transportation is worse and prices are higher."

Luiz Suares (left), 15, and his brother Daniel, 10, rest at their home.
. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Luiz Suares (left), 15, and his brother Daniel, 10, rest at their home.

Bananas are being prepared for lunch.
. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Bananas are being prepared for lunch.

Farmer Javier Tamayo (left), 55, sits at the door of a neighbour's home.
. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Farmer Javier Tamayo (left), 55, sits at the door of a neighbour's home.

Farmer Alexander Castillo, 37, talks to a friend.
. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Farmer Alexander Castillo, 37, talks to a friend.

A book from the Cuban Independence, Hero Jose Marti, lies on a table.
. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

A book from the Cuban Independence, Hero Jose Marti, lies on a table.

A cat rests inside a farmer's home.
. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

A cat rests inside a farmer's home.

Farmer Luca Castillo, 84, poses for a photograph in front of his home.
. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Farmer Luca Castillo, 84, poses for a photograph in front of his home.

A horse stands in the mountains.
. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

A horse stands in the mountains.

Farmer Javier Tamayo, 55, rides his horse.
. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Farmer Javier Tamayo, 55, rides his horse.

Branches of palm trees used for building roofs.
. Cerrito De Naua, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Branches of palm trees used for building roofs.

A hen and her chicks.
. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

A hen and her chicks.

Mechanic Dayan Nunes, 20, sits on a donkey.
. La Merced, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Mechanic Dayan Nunes, 20, sits on a donkey.

Hipolito Marrero, 83, smokes a cigar as he commutes on horseback.
. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Hipolito Marrero, 83, smokes a cigar as he commutes on horseback.

Farmer Candido Udaldo goes down the road using a homemade soap box cart.
. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Farmer Candido Udaldo goes down the road using a homemade soap box cart.

People stand in the back of a truck as they wait to be taken to the recording of an episode of the TV show "Palmas y Canas".
. Errito De Naua, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

People stand in the back of a truck as they wait to be taken to the recording of an episode of the TV show "Palmas y Canas".

People watch the recording of an episode of the TV show "Palmas y Canas".
. Providencia, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

People watch the recording of an episode of the TV show "Palmas y Canas".

A chef sits in a food station during the recording of an episode of the TV show "Palmas y Canas".
. Providencia, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

A chef sits in a food station during the recording of an episode of the TV show "Palmas y Canas".

The village of Santo Domingo.
. Santo Domingo, CUBA. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

The village of Santo Domingo.