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Santa Clara, CubaSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Calle_Parque_SC.JPG
Author: Lezumbalaberenjena
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, CubaSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Catedral_SC.jpg
Author: Lezumbalaberenjena
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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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.
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