Go Back
Yayabo Bridge, Sancti SpíritusSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Puente_Yayabo_Sancti_Spiritus_Cuba.jpg
Author: Jialiang Gao
Sancti Spíritus is a city in central Cuba. It is the provincial capital of Sancti Spíritus Province. Covering 1,151 sq km (444.4 sq mi), it has a population of 134,000 (2011 estimate).
Sancti Spíritus was founded in 1514 by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar. Its name means "holy spirit" in Latin. Originally sited along the Tuinucú River, it was relocated eight years later to the banks of the Yayabo River, most likely for better defence against pirates. The move did not seem to work, for in 1586, the city went up in smoke when British pirates set fire to it, in the process burning all documents related to its founding.
Today Sancti Spíritus is one of the best preserved cities in the Caribbean from the sugar plantation period. It has many interesting historic sights that are slowly gaining the attention of tourists.
A shopping alley in Sancti Spiritus, CubaSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2012-02-pedestrian_zone_Sancti_Spiritus_anagoria.JPG
Author: Anagoria
The town center of Sancti Spíritus can easily be explored on foot within a few hours. There are beautiful colonial-era houses with wrought-iron balconies and streets full of character waiting to be explored. The historic center of Sancti Spíritus is today gazetted as a national monument.
Visiting Sancti Spíritus
There are buses to Sancti Spíritus from Camagüey, Havana, Santa Clara and Santiago de Cuba.Sights & Attractions in Sancti Spíritus
- Hotel Perla de Cuba
One of the most exclusive hotels at the turn of the 20th century. - Museo de Arte Colonial
Museum housed in an 18th century house belonging to a local wealthy family. It displays furniture, porcelain, paintings and crystals, among others. - Parque Serafín Sánchez
Square at the heart ofthe city. Dedicated to a local hero in the war of independence, the square is today a national monument. - Parroquial Mayor del Espíritu Santo
A late 17th century stone church, one of the oldest churches in Cuba, built to replace an earlier church of wood built in the 16th century. - Teatro Principal
Theater building erected in 1876. It underwent restoration in 1980. - Yayabo Bridge
A stone arch bridge built in 1825, today a national monument.According to legend, the cement used for the bridge was mixed with goat milk.
Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips
About this website
Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.
While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.
To get to know me better, do follow me on Facebook!
Copyright © 2003-2025 Timothy Tye. All Rights Reserved.