Matanzas is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. It is famed for its Afro-Cuban folklore.
It is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish
Bahia de Matanzas), kilometers ( mi) east of the capital Havana and
kilometers ( mi) west of the resort town of Varadero.
Matanzas is called the city of bridges, of which there are seventeen crossing the three rivers that traverse the city
(Rio Yumuri, San Juan, and Canimar). For this reason it was referred to as the "Venice of Cuba." It was also called "La Atenas de
Cuba" (the Athens of Cuba) for its poets.
The municipality is divided into the barrios of Bachicha, Bailén, Barracones, Bellamar,
Camarioca, Cárcel, Ceiba Mocha, Colón, Corral Nuevo, Guanábana, Ojo de Agua, Refugio, San Luis, San Severino, Simpson y
Monserrate, Versalles and Yumurí.[1]
History and Culture
Matanzas was founded in 1693 as San Carlos y San Severino de Matanzas.[1]
Matanzas was one of the regions that saw intensive development of sugar plantations during the colonial era. Consequently,
many African slaves were imported to support the sugar industry, particularly during the first half of the nineteenth century.
For example, in 1792 there were 1900 slaves in Matanzas, roughly 30% of its population. In 1817, the slave population of Matanzas
had grown to 10,773, comprising nearly 50% of the overall population. By 1841, 53,331 slaves made up 62.7% of the population of
Matanzas (Bergad 1990:67). Census figures for 1859 put the Matanzas slave population at 104,519 (ibid.:191). Matanzas was the
site of several slave insurrections and plots, including the infamous Escalera conspiracy (discovered in late 1843). Due
to the high number of both slaves and, importantly, free Afro-Cubans in Matanzas, the retention of African traditions is
especially strong there.
Name origin
The name Matanzas means "massacre" and refers to a putative slaughter at the port of the
same name in which 30 Spanish soldiers were crossing one of the rivers to attack an aboriginal
camp on the far shore. However, they didn't have any boats, and enlisted the help of some native fishermen. However, once they reached the middle of the river, the fishermen flipped the boats, and due to the
Spanish soldiers' heavy metal armor, most of them drowned.[4] Only two women -- one said to be the beautiful María de Estrada -- survived, the result of being
"taken" by a Cacique. De Estrada is said to have later escaped the "power of the Cacique" and
married Pedro Sánchez Farfán in the city of Trinidad.
Attractions
Necropolis de San Carlos Borromeo
Demographics
Street overlooking the Bay of Matanzas
In 2004, the municipality of Matanzas had a population of 143,706.[3] With a total area of km² ( sq mi),[2] it has
a population density of /km² (/sq mi).
Notable residents
- Lyen Wong - Cuban-German fitness athlete was born in Matanzas in 1974
- Leo Cardenas - Former major league baseball player and 5-time All-Star was born in Matanzas in 1938
References
- ^ a b c
- ^ a b
- ^ a b
- ^ Matanzas legend (pdf)
- ^ a b National Council for Cultural Heritage. National Monuments in Cuba. Retrieved
on 2007-10-09. (Spanish)
-
- Bergad, Laird W. Cuban Rural Society in the Nineteenth Century: The Social and Economic History of Monoculture in
Matanzas. Princeton University Press, 1990.
External links
be-x-old:Матансас
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