This development of a system of plazas in the urban layout has characterized Holguin as the City of Parks, and its inhabitants as fervent lovers of their enjoyment.
This main area or system of squares is made up of the Parks and the buildings that surround them:
The Parks of Holguin, not only those in the center, but also those existing in the different residential areas such as Nuevo Pueblo, Vista Alegre, Luz and Peralta, constitute spaces of solace and relaxation and why not? of culture.
This system of plazas preserves to this day another of the legacies of the Laws of the Indies, since four of them have the portal established by said legislation, for the placement of street vendors and as a tropical solution to the rain and the strong sun that bathes the Latin American countries.
This has made Holguin also known as “the City of Runners”, a common characteristic in many Cuban cities that have them not only around squares but along streets and avenues.
An interesting aspect of the Parks of the City of Holguin that are located in its historic and urban center is the peculiarity that they were designed elevated in relation to the level of the streets, which must be accessed by means of steps.
We consider this detail to be due to the fact that it was necessary to lower the roads so that the waters could flow during the rainy season, which, with impressive force, came down from the northern hills and to also prevent them from penetrating the buildings.
Later, when the aqueduct, sewage and paving were built, the unevenness of these in relation to the buildings and Parks became even more evident.
It is necessary to add that the rocky surface in this area is barely 2 meters deep, so we also consider that to achieve the gardening and trees included in them, it was necessary to fill with fertile soil, a solution that we assume was applied in the 19th century, when the squares were remodeled for the first time with beautiful architectural projects.
At first, the squares of the City of Holguin were blocks demarcated for the primitive functions of the city of that time, without any type of urban furniture, and already in the 19th century, when they were intervened, they lost their original spaces, when they were defined its enclosures in relation to the streets and sidewalks that frame them; Despite this, Holguin's Parks stand out for their large dimensions.
Modern life has not prevented these traditional areas from continuing to be the most important point in the development of urban activity for current generations. Even today the public gathers around the Municipal Band to listen to the retreat on Thursdays and Sundays in the Calixto García Park, children play around the statues of the Major Generals, while young people and adults talk, fall in love and take the fresh air. at any time of the day and night.
Important festivals are celebrated in its surroundings, and the main businesses and cultural institutions of the city are located in all of them.
EN 
ES