Coast of Sierra Maestra

The Sierra Maestra rises sharply above the Caribbean on Cuba's southeastern coast. Its crest includes Pico Turquino, the highest summit on the island, while rivers such as the La Plata and Yara descend from the mountains. In the early sixteenth century, the Indigenous leader Guamá resisted Spanish rule in eastern Cuba; his followers fought in the forests near Baracoa and in the Sierra Maestra.