Bayamo is the capital city of the Granma Province of

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

and one of the largest cities in the Oriente region.

Overview

The community of Bayamo lies on a plain by the Bayamo River. It is affected by the violent Bayamo wind. One of the most important education institutions in the province is the University of Granma.

History

Established in 1513, Bayamo was the third of seven cities founded by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar. Francisco Iznaga, a Basque landowner in the western portion of Cuba during the first 30 years of the colonization of Cuba, was elected mayor in 1540. Iznaga was the originator of a powerful lineage that finally settled in

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, where the Torre Iznaga (Iznaga Tower) is. His descendants fought for the independence of Cuba and for annexation to the U.S., from 1820 to 1900. During much of the 16th century it was one of the most important agricultural and commercial settlements of the island. Its inland situation gave it relative security against the pirates who infested West Indian seas, and the misfortunes of

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

were the fortunes of Bayamo. Down the

Cauto River The Cauto River or Río Cauto is the longest river in Cuba, as well as the longest river in the Caribbean. Located in the southeast of the island, it is one of two navigable rivers in Cuba, the other being the Sagua la Grande River. Overview The ...

, then open to the sea for vessels of 200 tons, and through Manzanillo, Bayamo drove a thriving contraband trade that made it the leading town of Cuba at the opening of the 17th century. A tremendous flood, in 1616, choked the Cauto with trees and wrecked vessels, cutting it off from direct access to the sea; but through Manzanillo it continued a great clandestine traffic with Curaçao,

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, and other foreign islands throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Bayamo was then surrounded by fine plantations. In 1827 it acquired the status of

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

. In the war of 1868–1878 it was an insurgent stronghold. One of the most desperate conflicts of the war was fought nearby, and it was nearly destroyed by the opposing parties.

Demographics

In 2004, the municipality of Bayamo had a population of 222,118. With a total area of , it has a population density of .

Transportation

Bayamo is an under-recognized world leader in sustainable transportation. Per a UN study only about 15% of commuters rely on motorized transport and almost three times as many (39%) rely on about 500 licensed horse-drawn carriages generally following fixed routes. The rest of the non-pedestrian traffic is bicycle and bicycle taxi. Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Airport satisfies the city's commercial aviation needs; it has had service to Havana on

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Notable residents

* Francisco Vicente Aguilera (1821–1877), revolutionary *

Ricardo Villaverde Ricardo is the Spanish and Portuguese cognate of the name Richard. It derived from Proto-Germanic ''*rīks'' 'king, ruler' + ''*harduz'' 'hard, brave'. It may be a given name, or a surname. People Given name *Ricardo de Araújo Pereira, Portu ...

(1908–1999), surgeon and businessman *

Conrado Roblejo Aguilera Conrado may refer to: People with the given name *Gregorio Conrado Álvarez (1925–2016), Uruguayan general and former dictator * Luis Conrado Batlle or Luis Batlle Berres (1897–1964), Uruguayan political figure *Conrado Benitez (1889–1971), f ...

(born 1966), doctor *

José Antonio Cedeño José Antonio Cedeño (born José Antonio Cedeño y Labout on June 16, 1939, in Bayamo, Oriente, Cuba) is a self-taught Cuban artist specializing in sculpture, drawing and painting. During the 1950s, Cedeño was a professional in Aeronautical ...

(born 1939), artist * Carlos Manuel de Céspedes (1819–1874), revolutionary * Perucho Figueredo (1818–1870), composer of the Cuban national anthem * Pablo Milanés (born 1943), singer * Tomás Estrada Palma (1832–1908), first president of Cuba * Felo Ramírez (1923-2017), radio presenter * Rolando Uríos (born 1971), handball player * Alexis Pantoja Perez (born 1969), painter * Sigmund Sobolewski (1923–2017), Polish Holocaust survivor * Sergio Pérez Barrero (Born 1953), Psychiatrist.

References

External links

{{Authority control Cities in Cuba Populated places in Granma Province Populated places established in 1513 1510s establishments in the Spanish West Indies 1510s in Cuba 1827 establishments in the Spanish Empire 1820s in Cuba