Santa Clara city: a different anniversary

Like the first time, on July 15, 1689, Santa Clara is reborn, now for the 332nd time and despite hurricanes, droughts, rains, wars and pandemics, with more history, beauty and maturity due to the love of its children and proud of such a long existence.

A strong outbreak of COVID-19 has restricted people’s movement in the city but without frightening its citizens, who are ready to celebrate a new anniversary as usual, mambi reveille included.

With its proverbial heat and rainfall, July brings with it the birthday of the city and some of institutions, among others the provincial radio station CMHW and the ACN correspondent’s office in the province of Villa Clara.

Leafy branches of a tamarind tree provided shelter from the strong sunlight to the group of people who attended the first mass and unwittingly laid the foundations of a city that is home today to more than 200,000 people.

A monument atop Loma del Carmen marks the scene of the transcendental event that paved the way for a long history of glorious moments, some happy, other sad, marked by the permanent struggle that city life entails.

Many heritage and emblematic sites such as the Leoncio Vidal Park, Santa Clara’s most important square, stand as the heart of social life in the middle of significant buildings mostly of eclectic architecture.

Many of Cuba’s illustrious children, born around these parts, lived to improve people’s life. Doña Marta Abreu, an outstanding patriot, stands out from others, as she used her own money to benefit the locality with the construction of buildings in the second half of the 19th century. One of them was La Caridad Theater, a National Monument, and a senior citizens home, among other structures still standing.

Ernesto Guevara, adopted son of the city, commanded the Rebel Army that liberated the city in 1958 as the insurgents advanced towards Havana to topple the tyrant Fulgencio Batista during the last war of liberation.

People throughout the province are aware that the postponement of the traditional celebrations for Santa Clara city is a requirement imposed by the current health emergency and that there will undoubtedly be other healthier anniversaries to honor its founders and the generations that made it great.