Guantanamo
Guantánamo is a city located in the southeast of Cuba. It is also the capital of the province of Guantánamo, the province where the US Guantánamo base has been located since 1903. Most of its inhabitants live from the production of salt, cocoa, tomato, sugar cane and coffee.
Geography
Located 965 km from the country's capital (Havana), it is made up of plains of marine origin, abrasive-denudative and fluvial, deltaic, slightly undulating, partly swampy. The subsoil is made up of limestone, calcarenite and marl from the Miocene. It is a highly populated area, where the misuse or exploitation of groundwater has led to soil salinization in some sectors.
Its main economic productions are focused on industrial activity, which is characterized by limited development in relation to other provinces of the country, for generally possessing backward technology, and for not assimilating the existing raw material capacity in the territory. Among the most important industries are the factories of valves and pumps, furniture, textile production (AMBAR), and others in the food branch such as meat, fish, dairy, beverage and liquor combinations and a coffee processing plant. The business activity since 2006 has grown considerably as part of the Local Development Program that already exceeds 1000 facilities, the city of Guantánamo fundamentally shows a renewed image.
The main city, which today has paved streets, parks, residences, and buildings, was in its early days just a small hamlet. Its streets were made of dirt, they lacked sidewalks, the streets had no lighting. The few houses that existed were made of wood.
On this base, there are prison camps for alleged illegal combatants captured in the "War on Terror" maintained by the current US administration. It claims that the extra-territorial status prevents prisoners from having access to the courts, but some of them, including the Supreme Court, have denied this interpretation. The base in principle was a piece of land rented by Cuba to the US.
History
When the Spanish arrived, this region was inhabited by Taíno aborigines. The Taínos, who characterized themselves as potters and farmers, were also one of the most rebellious groups in their rejection of the Spanish conqueror.
The town was founded in 1796 under the name of Santa Catalina de Guantánamo in the center of the Guantánamo Valley, a fertile region where numerous mills and sugar mills were established, which took advantage of the existence of three important rivers economy: the Bano, the Jaibo and the Guaso.
During the Ten Years' War, troops under the command of General Máximo Gómez tried unsuccessfully to invade the Valley on two occasions.
On December 4, 1870, it reached the category of town and began extensive development thanks to its strategic position in relation to the coffee trade that is grown in the nearby mountains, sugar, and other agricultural products.
On February 24, 1895, Guantanamo joined the war for independence when Pedro Agustín Pérez organized an uprising at the "La Confianza" on the outskirts of the city.
During the United States Intervention from 1898 to 1902, the bay near the city began to attract the attention of the intervening government due to its great strategic potential for military control of the western Caribbean.
The Platt Amendment, a law of the United States Congress imposed on the 1st Cuban Constitution at the beginning of the 20th century, under the threat that, if not accepted, the island would remain militarily occupied, established the obligation to cede portions of territory for military installations to the United States. It didn't take long for this demand to be put into practice.
In December 1903, the US took over "until needed" Guantánamo Bay, through the so-called Cuban-American Treaty. From then until the Cuban Revolution (more than half a century) it was the center of a marked influence from the United States, and encouragement, due to the presence of United States citizens. The Cuban government considers the enclave illegal and since 1960 has refused to receive the symbolic annual rental payment of $5,000. Mr. Pedro Manuel Pérez donated the land for the Church and the Plaza de Armas that were destined for the exercises of the Spanish troops. At first they were small dirt roads that led to the church; Later the cement walkways and rectangular gardens with small stone walls around them were built.
Another very important place in the history of the town is the Parque 24 de Febrero. The land where it is located was ceded by Don José Rafat in 1841 and the Plaza Isabel II was projected on it, in honor of the Queen of Spain. In the center of the park, a base was erected on which pieces of currency and scrolls with inscriptions and dates were placed. Said base was destined to receive the statue of the Queen that never arrived. This square was also called Plaza de la Constitución.
Communications
It has a local television channel called Solvisión, a newspaper called Periódico Venceremos, and a radio station called CMKS.
Culture
The city of Guantánamo is and has been the cradle of great artists. Among them are:
- Regino Eladio Boti
- Luis Lilí Martínez Grinan
- Chito Latamble
- Angel Iñigo
- Nené Manfugas
- Elio Revé Matos
- Antonia Luisa Cabal
- Conrado Monier
- Hilario Peña
- Good faith
- Komotu Group
In addition, it is the headquarters shared with the sister city of Santiago de Cuba of the Fiesta del Fuego. The province is the cradle of various musical rhythms such as Changüi and Son, whose origin it shares with Santiago de Cuba. El Nengón, El Kiriba, La Regina Montunera, El Son montuno, El Aeroplano, in that region the Cuban guitar of the Son (El Tres cubano) and the bongo were born.
Main neighborhoods of the city
The city has 10 large neighborhoods or Popular Councils, they are:
- Loma of the Chivo
- Caribbean
- The South
- The North
- The Cocos
- Santa Maria
- San Justo
- The West
- Confluents
- Worker
Panorama of the City of Guantánamo
.jpg)