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Santa Clara
Street in Parque Vidal
Street in Parque Vidal
Coat of arms of Santa Clara
Coat of arms
Santa Clara, Cuba (Cuba1)
Santa Clara, Cuba
Location of Santa Clara in Cuba
Coordinates: 22°24′19″N 79°57′15″W / 22.40528, -79.95417
Country Flag of Cuba Cuba
Province Villa Clara
Founded July 15th, 1689
Established January 1, 1690[1]
Area [2]
 - Total 514 km² (198. The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Administratively, Cuba is divided into fourteen provinces and one special Municipality. Villa Clara is one of the Provinces of Cuba. It's located in the central region of the island bordering with the Atlantic at north Matanzas Province by west Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 5 sq mi)
Elevation 125 m (410 ft)
Population (2004)[3]
 - Total 237,581
 - Density 462. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 2/km² (1,197. 1/sq mi)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
Area code(s) +53-422

Santa Clara is the capital city of the Cuban province of Villa Clara. The Eastern Time Zone ( ET) of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America UTC−5 is the Time offset used in the North American Eastern Time Zone during Standard time and in the North American Central Time Zone during A telephone numbering plan is a plan for allocating Telephone number ranges to countries regions areas and exchanges and to non-fixed telephone networks The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Villa Clara is one of the Provinces of Cuba. It's located in the central region of the island bordering with the Atlantic at north Matanzas Province by west It is located in the most central region of the province and almost in the most central region of the country.

Contents

History

Tamarind on a place of the foundation of city
Tamarind on a place of the foundation of city

Santa Clara was founded by 175 people on July 15th, 1689. This article refers to the tree For other uses see Tamarindo (disambiguation. One hundred and thirty-eight of them were represented by two large families already living in the area and, therefore, owners of the land next to the new city. The other 37 came from 7 other families, a priest and a governor, all of them originating in the coastal city of “San Juan de los Remedios”. The population of Remedios was torn between the option of leaving their city, constantly besieged by pirate attacks, or staying in place. Remedios is a city and municipality located 6 miles from the northern coast of Cuba, in the center of the island While most of them finally decided to stay, these 37 persons traveled south and, on June 1st, 1689 they arrive to the hill where they rejoined the other two existing families. A mass was given under a Tamarind tree and the city was born. This article refers to the tree For other uses see Tamarindo (disambiguation. Since then, the place under the tree is known as “Loma Del Carmen” (Carmen’s Hill). A second generation church exists in a beautiful park along the place with a monument commemorating the event surrounded by a fourth generation Tamarind tree.

At its beginnings, the settlement was called Cayo Nuevo, then Dos Cayos, Villa Nueva de Santa Clara, Pueblo Nuevo de Antón Díaz, Villa Clara and finally Santa Clara.

Construction of the city began not far from Carmen’s Hill. Following the Spanish standards, a perfect squared layout with a central plaza (Plaza Mayor today Parque Vidal) was developed. The first buildings erected were the Cabildo (City Council) and a modest palm tree church. This building was enhanced in 1725 to a brick one, and stayed the center of the Parque Vidal until August 22, 1923 when it was torn down in order to expand the plaza and build a new church close by. Back then, and still nowadays, this decision, taken by the mayor, was highly criticized. The building, while not a gem of architecture, was not entirely unpleasant to the eye and certainly an example of the older colonial structure in the city. Resulting from this expropriation by the City Council, a complaint was raised by religious figures and a total of 77 850. 00 pesos were paid in fines to the Church, a considerable sum that would represent millions of pesos today.

Soon after the foundation, a theater, a chamber of commerce, meeting clubs, public libraries and dance halls were erected as well. The position of the city, almost in the very center of the country, made it as a perfect halt and a great communication link, east-west and north-south, creating a slow but unstoppable growth. By the 19th century, Santa Clara was bigger and more populated than the rest of the towns around, including what was once Remedios. As a necessary stop between Havana and the east of the country, the city gained the title of Las Villas province capital. Havana ( IPA: aˈβana officially Ciudad de La Habana, is the Capital city, major port and leading

Marta Abreu de Estevez

Statue of Marta Abreu in Parque Vidal
Statue of Marta Abreu in Parque Vidal

Presently, there are two well- known figures associated with Santa Clara: Marta Abreu de Estevez, a beloved native daughter known as "the Benefactress of the City" and Ernesto Ernesto Che Guevara, associated with the city, where he is buried, for having waged there the final battle of the revolution that toppled the Fulgencio Batista government in 1958. Ernesto "Che" Guevara (June 14 Following the Cuban revolution,Guevara reviewed General Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (fulˈxensjo βaˈtista i salˈdiβar January 16, 1901 &ndash August 6, 1973) was a Cuban

Marta Abreu's acclaim is due to the numerous projects she and her family promoted through their monetary donations intended to enhance the life of all citizens of Santa Clara. Marta Abreu and her husband Luis Estevez, who became the first Vice President of the young republic in 1902, were well-known sympathizers and contributors to the Cuban rebels cause during the War of Cuban Independence against Spain (known in the United States as the Spanish-American War). Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Marta's legacy can be seen all over the city: an electric plant building, several schools, an asylum, public laundry stations by the Belico river (two of them still exist, unfortunately in poor conditions), the fire station that can be seen just a block off the Parque Vidal, the train station near Carmen's Hill, but first and foremost the "La Caridad" (Charity) Theater. The theater can be admired in one of the corners of the Parque Vidal in the center of the city. Marta was the project's sole financial sponsor. She personally supervised its design and construction. Although the building is not as grandiose as Terrier Theater in Cienfuegos City, the concept behind its founding makes it most worthy: the proceeds of the theater were destined for the support of the two schools Marta founded for poor children of the city. The schools, one for girls and one for boys, were located just behind the theater. La Caridad Theater is one of the seven Big Theaters from the colonial era still standing. It offers an exquisite architecture and amazing interior. Marta finally donated her own palace to the city; it was used as a Provincial Government Palace and transformed into a Public Library afterwards. Today, it houses the "Biblioteca Marti" (Marti Library), also located on the Parque Vidal, and represents a beautiful example of Neo Classical architecture with finely decorated interiors. Santa Clara's University is named after her. Marta is buried in the Colón cemetery of Havana. Havana ( IPA: aˈβana officially Ciudad de La Habana, is the Capital city, major port and leading

Battle of Santa Clara

Che Guevara's Monument and Mausoleum
Che Guevara's Monument and Mausoleum
Main article: Battle of Santa Clara

Santa Clara was the site of the last battle in the Cuban Revolution in late 1958. The Battle of Santa Clara was a series of events in late December 1958 that led to the capture of the Cuban city of The Cuban Revolution refers to the revolution that led to the overthrow of the United States proxy ruler General Fulgencio Batista 's regime on January 1, Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. There were two guerrilla columns that attacked the city, one led by Ernesto Che Guevara and the other led by Camilo Cienfuegos. Ernesto "Che" Guevara (June 14 Following the Cuban revolution,Guevara reviewed Camilo Cienfuegos Gorriarán ( February 6, 1932 – October 28, 1959) was a Cuban Revolutionary born in Lawton Havana Guevara's column first captured the garrison at Fomento. Then, using a bulldozer, Guevara's soldiers destroyed railroad tracks and derailed a train full of troops and supplies sent by Batista. General Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (fulˈxensjo βaˈtista i salˈdiβar January 16, 1901 &ndash August 6, 1973) was a Cuban At the same time, Cienfuegos's column defeated an army garrison at the Battle of Yaguajay not far from town. The Battle of Yaguajay ( 19 December, 1958 - 30 December, 1958) was a decisive victory for the Cuban Revolutionaries over the soldiers of the Batista On December 31, 1958, the combined forces of Guevara and Cienfuegos (along with other revolutionaries under William Alexander Morgan) attacked Santa Clara. Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. William Alexander Morgan ( 19 April 1928 &ndash 11 March 1961) was a United States citizen who fought in the Cuban Revolution The battle was chaotic, the defenders were demoralized, some fought, others surrendered without a shot. By the afternoon, the city was captured. This victory for Castro's troops is seen as the decisive moment in the Cuban Revolution as Batista fled Cuba less than 12 hours later.

Demographics

Pedestrians in Boulevard "1889"
Pedestrians in Boulevard "1889"

In 2004, the municipality of Santa Clara had a population of 237,581. [3] With a total area of 514 km² (198. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 5 sq mi),[2] it has a population density of 462. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. 2/km² (1,197. 1/sq mi).

The municipality is divided into the barrios of Báez, Carmen, Egidos, Hoyo, Loma Cruz, Manajanabo, Manicaragua, Mata, Parroquia, Pastora, Provincial, Puente, Quemado Hilario, Raúl Sancho, San Gil and Seibabo. Barrio is a Spanish word meaning District or Neighborhood. The Word has come into use in English mostly through the large [1]

Attractions

In Santa Clara's center is a park (Parque Vidal) and it is laid on an entire square block. Parque Vidal is a park located in the center of Santa Clara Cuba that covers an entire square block In the park there is a statue of Marta Abreu, a person much loved by the people of Santa Clara. Bordering the park is the Santa Clara Libre (formerly the Gran Hotel), Teatro de La Caridad (a National Monument of Cuba. Teatro de La Caridad in Santa Clara is one of the remaining colonial buildings from the epoc of the Spanish control in Cuba. [4]), the Plaza del Mercado Central, the former City Hall and the Colonia Española de Santa Clara center of dance, offers the most attractive and unique traditional customs of hinterland Cuba.

Parque Vidal is probably one of the most typical places in Cuba. During the afternoons, people (specially singles) visit the park to meet others. Although not widely practiced in recent times, the custom was to walk the park around and around. The women walk the inner part of the park, while the men walk the outer side. Another lost custom was for the locals to set up a platform and offer improvisations with their guitars on late Sunday afternoons. For that day they dressed with their Guayaberas and highly polished shoes. The guayabera is a men's Shirt popular in Latin America, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and the West Indies

Santa Clara is home to a mausoleum which houses the remains of Che Guevara and sixteen of his fellow combatants killed in 1967 during the Bolivia campaign. A mausoleum ( plural: mausolea is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons The Republic of Bolivia (República de Bolivia) named after Simón Bolívar, is a Landlocked country in central South America. There is also a reconstruction of Guevara derailing the train during the Battle of Santa Clara.

Prior to 1 January 1977, Santa Clara was located in Las Villas Province. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays Santa Clara (also known as Las Villas after 1940) was a historical province of Cuba. On that date, as part of a general administrating reordering of Cuba's provinces, Las Villas province was reordered into the provinces of Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, and Sancti Spíritus. Villa Clara is one of the Provinces of Cuba. It's located in the central region of the island bordering with the Atlantic at north Matanzas Province by west Cienfuegos is one of the provinces of Cuba. The capital city of the province is also called Cienfuegos and was founded by French settlers in 1819 Sancti Spíritus is one of the Provinces of Cuba. Its capital is the identically named Sancti Spíritus. Santa Clara is in the province now known as Villa Clara.

Other local landmarks include:

Train Station a gift of Marta Abreu to the city. Marta Abreu de Estevez ( 13 November 1845 – 2 January 1909) was one of the most influential figures of her time in central Cuba,

Vidal Park in Santa Clara's downtown.

Eclectic architecture in Santa Clara's pedestrian boulevard.

Che Guevara's Monument and museum. Ernesto "Che" Guevara (June 14 Following the Cuban revolution,Guevara reviewed

Carmen Church the oldest one in city and point of origin of it.

City's Cathedral.

Trenches made by rebels under Che Guevara orders in Loma del Capiro. Ernesto "Che" Guevara (June 14 Following the Cuban revolution,Guevara reviewed Loma del Capiro (Capiro's Hill is a group of three small peaks located in the city of Santa Clara, Cuba.

Part of the monument to the armored train.

Teatro La Caridad.

Former City Hall now Marti Library.

People hanging around flower vendors in Parque Vidal

Historic eclectic buildings serving as Cultural Centre and Radio Station in Parque Vidal

Education

Santa Clara is home to the University "Marta Abreu" of Las Villas (Spanish: Universidad Central "Marta Abreu" de Las Villas (UCLV)), composed of a conglomerate of faculties:

Offering Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees and boasting the graduation of 35000 engineers, licensees, architects, medics, and veterinarians, of which 1000 have been foreigners from 47 countries. The University "Marta Abreu" of Las Villas " (Universidad Central "Marta Abreu" de Las Villas UCLV) is a university located in Santa Clara Cuba Additionally, it has formed more than 310 doctors and more than 1600 magisters. In addition it collaborates with institutions from Germany, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Spain, Peru, Mexico and Venezuela.

Notable people

Sister cities

References

Garcia Gonzales, Luis. Al pie del Tamarindo. Coleccion Escambray, Santa Clara, 1993, Publicigraf (c).

  1. ^ a b Guije. com. Santa Clara. Retrieved on 2007-10-09. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 768 - Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned Kings of The Franks. (Spanish)
  2. ^ a b Statoids (July 2003). Municipios of Cuba. Retrieved on 2007-10-09. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 768 - Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned Kings of The Franks.
  3. ^ a b Atenas. cu (2004). 2004 Population trends, by Province and Municipality. Retrieved on 2007-10-09. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 768 - Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned Kings of The Franks. (Spanish)
  4. ^ a b National Council for Cultural Heritage. National Monuments in Cuba. Retrieved on 2007-10-09. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 768 - Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned Kings of The Franks. (Spanish)
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