Santa Clara, Cuba

Santa Clara, Cuba
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Calle_Parque_SC.JPG
Author: Lezumbalaberenjena
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Santa Clara is a city in the central part of Cuba. It serves as the provincial capital of Villa Clara. The city covers 514 sq km (198.5 sq mi) and has a population of 238,000 (2011 estimate).

Santa Clara was founded in 1689 when the villagers of the coastal village San Juan de los Remedios decided to relocated inland, to a spot where they could not be regularly harassed by pirates. However the villagers were not of one mind. Two major families with 138 members decided to move to Santa Clara. They are accompanied by another 37 villagers, including the priest and governor, while the rest of the villagers decided to stay put in San Juan de los Remedios.

Catedral de Santa Clara, Cuba
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Catedral_SC.jpg
Author: Lezumbalaberenjena
photo licensing

In addition to the uncertainly over whether to relocate was also the indecision of what to call the new settlement. Several names were tossed about and tried, among them Cayo Nuevo, then Dos Cayos, Villa Nueva de Santa Clara, Pueblo Nuevo de Antón Díaz, Villa Clara and finally Santa Clara.

Perhaps the most famous person to have come out of Santa Clara is the local born philantropist and heiress Marta Abreu de Estévez, whose husband Luis Estévez became the first Vice President of Cuba in 1902. Another figure associated with Santa Clara is the revolutionist Ernesto "Che" Guevara, who was buried there.

Visiting Santa Clara

You can reach Santa Clara by bus from Havana, Santiago de Cuba and Camagüey, among others.

Sights & Attractions in Santa Clara

Conjunto Escultórico "Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara"
Monument at Plaza de la Revolución, unveiled on 28 December 1988, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Battle of Santa Clara.
Museo de Artes Decorativas
This museum of decorative arts displays furniture, furnishings and paintings from the 17th to the 20th centuries.
Parque Leoncio Vidal
A lovely public square in the heart of Santa Clara. There is an obelisk commissioned by Marta Abreu de Estévez in honor of two priests, Juan de Conyedo and Hurtado de Mendoza.
Parque Tudury
Public square in front of the Iglesia di Nuestra Señora del Carmen. There is a monument here built in 1951 to commemorate the founding of Santa Clara.
Teatro de la Caridad
Theater built by engineer Herminio Leiva y Aguilera for Marta Abreu de Estévez. It was completed in 1885. The highlight of the building are its frescoes done by Spanish-Philippine painter Camilo Salaya.
Tren Blindado Monument
Memorial commemorating the victory of Che Guevera in the area on 28 December 1958.

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

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