Bayamo is the capital city of the Granma Province of

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

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 The University of Granma (, UDG) is a public university located in Bayamo, Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, ...

History

Established in 1513, Bayamo was the second of seven cities founded by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar. Francisco Iznaga, a

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

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

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...

, where the Torre Iznaga (Iznaga Tower) is. His descendants fought for the independence of Cuba, 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 A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED''), the term ''West Indian'' in 1597 described the indigenous inhabitants of the West In ...

seas, and the misfortunes of

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

were the fortunes of Bayamo. Down the Cauto River, 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 Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela. Curaçao includ ...

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, 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 a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

. 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 2022, the municipality of Bayamo had a population of 236,826. With a total area of , it has a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

of . The urban population was 169,209.

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 Cubana Airlines.

Notable residents

* Francisco Vicente Aguilera (1821–1877), revolutionary * Ricardo Villaverde (1908–1999), surgeon and businessman * Conrado Roblejo Aguilera (born 1966), doctor * José Antonio Cedeño (born 1939), artist * Carlos Manuel de Céspedes (1819–1874), revolutionary *

Perucho Figueredo Pedro Felipe Figueredo, (born 18 February 1818 – 17 August 1870), mostly known as Perucho, was a Cubans, Cuban poet, musician, and freedom fighter of the 19th century. In the 1860s, he was active in the planning of the Cuban uprising agains ...

(1818–1870), composer of the Cuban national anthem * Pablo Milanés (1943–2022), 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