Yaguajay, Cuba

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Coordinates: 22°19′49″N 79°14′13″W / 22.33028, -79.23694
Yaguajay
Location of Yaguajay in Cuba
Country	Cuba
Province	Sancti Spíritus
Founded	1847^[1]
Established	1879 (Municipality)
Area ^[2]
- Total	1,032 km² (398.5 sq mi)
Elevation	30 m (98 ft)
Population (2004)^[3]
- Total	58,938
- Density	57.1/km² (147.9/sq mi)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
Area code(s)	+53-41

Yaguajay is a municipality and city in the Sancti Spíritus Province of Cuba. It is located in the northern part of the province, and borders the Bay of Buena Vista to the north. The Caguanes National Park (protecting swamp and coastal ecosystems, caves and mural art) is located in Yaguajay.^[4]

1 History
- 1.1 The Battle of Yaguajay
- 1.2 Aftermath of the battle
2 Demographics
3 See also
4 References

[edit] History

It was founded in 1847^[1] and established as a municipality in 1879, then part of the province of Las Villas.

[edit] The Battle of Yaguajay

Camilo Cienfuegos fought an important battle in this city one of the last battles of the Cuban Revolution in 1958 defeating a brave Batistian Captain ( Avon Ly). That is why he is also known as El heroe de Yaguajay (Spanish: The hero of Yaguajay).In 1958, Fidel Castro ordered his revolutionary army to go on the offensive against the army of Fulgencio Batista. While Fidel led one force against Guisa, Masó and other towns, the other major offensive was directed at the capture of the city of Santa Clara, the capital of what was then Las Villas Province.

Three columns were sent against Santa Clara under the command of Che Guevara, Jaime Vega, and Camilo Cienfuegos. Vega's column was caught in an ambush and completely destroyed. Guevara's column took up positions around Santa Clara (near Fomento). Cienfuegos's column directly attacked a local army garrison at Yaguajay. Initially Cienfuegos's column was just 60 men, out of Castro's hardened core of 230. But as they moved through the lands towards Santa Clara, they gained many recruits. A best guess is that Cienfuegos had between 450 to 500 men fighting for him. The garrison was some 250 men under the command of a Cuban-born Chinese captain Abon Ly. The attack seems to have started around December 19. Convinced that reinforcements would be sent from Santa Clara, Ly put up a determined defense of his post. Repeatedly, the guerrillas attempted to overpower Ly and his men, but each time they failed. By December 26th, Cienfuegos had become quite frustrated; it seemed that Ly could not be overpowered, nor could he be convinced to surrender. In desperation, Cienfuegos began to use a homemade "tank" against Ly's position. The "tank" was actually a large tractor encased in iron plates with a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on top. It, too, proved unsuccessful. Finally, on December 30th, Ly, out of ammunition, surrendered his garrison.[1]

[edit] Aftermath of the battle

The surrender of the garrison was a major blow to the defenders of the provincial capital of Santa Clara. The next day, the combined forces of Cienfuegos, Guevara, and local revolutionaries under William Alexander Morgan captured Santa Clara in a fight of vast confusion. News of the loss of Santa Clara and other losses elsewhere panicked Batista and he fled Cuba the next day.

[edit] Demographics

In 2004, the municipality of Yaguajay had a population of 58,938.^[3] With a total area of 1,032 km² (398.5 sq mi),^[2] it has a population density of 57.1/km² (147.9/sq mi).

The municipality was divided into the barrios of Bamburanao, Cabecera, Centeno, Mayajigua, Meneses and Seibabo.^[1]