Rural landscapes marked the geography of Las Tunas, and hamlets with eclectic styles formed the ephemeral city image of the historic center, in a city that barely reached 100,000 inhabitants. This land was that small village that served as a transit point to the Cuban East, a place where only small merchants converged and where guaraperas, hawkers of peanuts, frittatas, and other light food trends swarmed in traveling vehicles.

Agriculture accentuated the comings and goings of its people through crops such as bananas and sugar cane, while in the Buena Vista area, a building gave a productive air with the installation of a noodle factory that still exists today. This was the only one in the sector in the city before the revolutionary triumph of the First of January 1959.

The city in the 1950s.

Once again, the birthplace of Major General Vicente García González would begin to re-emerge, now with more hope than ever before and, above all, after the political-administrative division of 24 February 1976 when it received recognition as a province and, with it, the beginning of a transcendental and inescapable stage in its socio-economic development.

Thus, at the beginning of the 1980s, specifically during 1981, one of the most important projects in the economic history of Las Tunas was born in its systematic and gradual contribution to Cuba's industrial activity. The Empresa de Estructuras Metálicas Francisco (Paco) Cabrera (Metunas in Spanish) would soon become a leader in essential aspects such as engineering, design, production, and commercialization of steel structures and their derivatives.

METUNAS, the so-called "factory of factories".

As a demonstration of the company's intention to promote the production of goods and services with high-quality standards, Metunas has strengthened its position through sacrifice and dedication within the broad business spectrum of the island, with indispensable participation in construction in various regions of the country.

Its contribution to the Herradura 1 and 2 wind farms in the north of Las Tunas has been extremely important, starting with the acquisition of machines for the construction of the bases for the wind turbines, with services ranging from cutting and straightening, preparation of ferrous metal surfaces, to the assembly and mounting of these constructions.

The entity proudly carries the stamp of Las Tunas to every point of the green alligator. The Mariel Special Development Zone, for example, has been the scene of multiple interventions in new projects such as the disposable nappies factory, the coffee roasting plant, the food processing center, the warehouse base for logistical security, and the railway repair warehouse.

When it comes to giants and indispensables, this land is home to an immense steel plant where professional talent, innovation, and efficiency have their place of honor. Ranked as the second most important after Antillana de Acero, in Havana, the Empresa de Aceros Inoxidables (ACINOX Las Tunas by its acronym in Spanish), has managed since 1991 to take root in the production of carbon and alloy steel billets, as well as rebar for concrete reinforcement, with outstanding potential in the construction of housing and other social programs.

Viviana Grave de Peralta Ávila arrived when just three columns marked the ground of the central nave, it was 1989, and that Santiago native fell eternally in love with the intention that would later become local pride.

I began to feel that I had the mission to raise the company, to build what until then had been a dream, she says with a certain nostalgia and adds: I had to prove that if I had to throw shovels of ferroalloys into the furnace or spend the wee hours of the morning awake making new plans, then I did it, with a lot of sacrifices, but with all the passion that comes with the specialty of Metallurgical Engineering," the director of Systems Integration and Supervision at Acinox Las Tunas told the Cuban News Agency.

Like Viviana, more than 900 workers, with their work, enabled the quality certification 25 years ago; an entity that today works on the improvement of its functions and corporate purpose to reorient itself towards a high-tech company by 2030, a condition that has positioned it in the national and international market with competent products of proven durability.

And in this trilogy of Titans, the basic business unit Muebles Ludema stands out, which focuses on the furnishing of luxurious hotels, convention centers, and primary health care facilities. The metamorphosis of the site, which originated in the former premises of a cotton mill, has allowed for the construction of articles of distinguished exquisiteness.

Comfort, quality, and luxury are characteristics that stand out in its pieces throughout the country with sales to the population, furniture cladding for public purposes, and the supply to tourist buildings such as the majestic hotel at 23 and K, in Vedado, Havana, a facility with 565 rooms on 42 floors, considered the highest of its kind in Cuba at 154 meters high; without a doubt a privilege that denotes the confidence and respect for Ludema's creations, more than 690 kilometers from the capital.

From Las Tunas to Cuba and the world, they strive to achieve liquidity, financial autonomy, equity between science, innovation, and technology, and, with this, safety and health in their daily work, which are the keys to safe progress with a productive and commercial character.

The city grows, breathes, and transforms. It is no longer that simple transit street to the eastern region; today it stands as a bastion of Cuban identity, with the authenticity and hospitality of its locals, those who are ready to embrace visitors from the doors that never close.

More than 170,000 people live here; squares and parks are painted every day by all ages and generations, in a city that embraces time and rises with nobility with an eye to the future, which is also built from its industries.