Sagua La Grande

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sagua La Grande, also known as La Villa del Undoso, is a city located on the north coast of the province of Villa Clara in central Cuba. It is on the Sagua la Grande River.

1 History
2 Architecture
3 Notable Residents
4 Personalities

[edit] History

Sagua la Grande was founded in 1812. By the beginning of the 20th century, the city and its port, (Isabela de Sagua), had grown to become an important commercial center. Presently, its economy is based on the sugar, chemical, mechanical, and food industries. Cattle raising and fishing are other important economic activities.

The general History of Sagua La Grande is concentrated in two great investigations: The historian Antonio Miguel Alcover Beltrán left to the inheritance of the events related to century XIX thanks to his personal interrogations to each one of the authors of history; and at the moment Pedro Suárez Tintín has been in charge to rescue all century XX and leaves from the XXI in his famous “Tintin Collection” that includes newspapers, books, photos, films and videos of all the historical events of referred time.

[edit] Architecture

The city's wide streets and little traffic give it a calm atmosphere.

In recent decades there has been a lack of new construction. Consequently, the older buildings, left over from colonial times, are in a state of decay.

One of the most beautiful buildings in this city, El Casino Español (The Spanish Casino) built in 1908, was the meeting place for the Sociedad Sagüera (Social Club of Sagua).

[edit] Notable Residents

One of the most admired people of Sagua La Grande was Joaquín Albarrán, an eminent doctor and great contributor to the fields of endoscopy and urology. Sagua La Grande honored him before his death with a monument located in the biggest park of the city, Parque de la Libertad. Many important Cuban artists came from this town including Wifredo Lam and José Pepe Núñez, among many others. It is also the birthplace of Mel Martinez, first Cuban-American to serve in the U.S. Senate. Estimated population 1995: 56 000 inhabitants.