 Located
in the central part of the island, Sancti
Spíritus is one of the first seven
villas founded in Cuba, in 1514, bordering
the River Tuinicú, in a territory
which the Indians called Magón, that
means “country that has no end”.
Somewhat latter, in 1522, it was changed
towards the river banks of the Yayabo River.
Spíritus Santo
was the original name given by the Spanish
settlers in order to praise one of the figures
of the Holy Trinity.
The city still keeps paved
streets, plazas and colonial constructions.
Among the most important we can point out
the bridge on top of the Yayabo River and
the High Church, both National Monuments.
In the province, the town
that attracts more interest is Trinidad,
an extraordinary colonial villa founded
by the Spanish with the name of Villa de
la Trinidad. Nowadays, 26% of its urban
area has great historical values. Its streets
and buildings maintain intact the magic
of the previous centuries. Even today the
houses in Trinidad keep all the characteristics
of the colonial period, the first houses
built with adobe in the villa are still
maintained, it was a mixture of clay with
vegetable fibers and a studwork of tree
branches.
As a sample of the XIX
century there are several properties: the
Iznagas´, the Church of the Holy Trinity,
The ´Guamuhaya´ Archaeology
Museum, The Brunet Palace, The Cantero Palace,
among others.
The Manaca Iznaga Tower
is really special; it was built by rich
landholders of that time who wished to conquer
the love of a lady, and decided to build
a construction which would determine the
chosen one according to the length in meters.
This tower used to be the place from where
they watched the entire Valle de los Ingenios
(Valley of the Sugar Cane Mills), place
where there were more than 44 sugar mills.
For all that, this valley has been declared
World Heritage, which constitutes province
of Sancti Spíritus.
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