Puerto Padre () is a municipality and town in the

Las Tunas Province Las Tunas is one of the provinces of Cuba. Major towns include Puerto Padre, Amancio, and the capital city, Las Tunas (historically Victoria de Las Tunas).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 Caribbea ...

. It is located on the northern coastal region of the province, in an estuary (''Estero El Españolito'') that opens into the Puerto Padre Bay.

History

Known popularly as the City of Mills, Puerto Padre has a history dating back into the 16th century. In the mid-19th century (1851), the city began its transformation from a small town into an industrial centre with the construction of its first

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

mill. The town played a large role in Cuba's wars of independence, and today is something of a tourist centre. The founders were Criollo (Creole) landowners of Castilian ancestry and Catalan merchants.

Columbus' arrival point theory

During the 2nd half of the 20th century a group of archaeologists brought forward a theory which disputes the current version of Columbus' landfall site. They claim that Puerto Padre bay was indeed the first spot in which Columbus landed in Cuba. The commonly accepted site is Bariay bay which is located further east in the province of Holguín. There are several sites which are disputed of being the first landing spot of Columbus and his crew: Puerto Padre and Manatí, both in the province of Las Tunas; and

Gibara Gibara () is a town and municipality of the Province of Holguín in the Republic of Cuba. Gibara is the fourth largest town by population and the ninth by area in Holguín. History The main town was founded on January 16, 1817. It is also known ...

and Bariay in the province of Holguín).

Geography

Overview

The city is located at the bottom corner of the bay which bears the same name. At least two rivers lead into Puerto Padre Bay. The small islet of Cayo Juan Claro is located towards the eastern center side of the bay, the Puerto Carupano port is located in this islet which is connected to the mainland by a man-made road, a railroad connects the islet with the now defunct sugar factory in the nearby town of Delicias. The terrain is mainly formed of flat-land although the city itself seats on a small hill which rolls nicely into the sea. The immediate terrain nearby the town is swampy with a thick mangrove forest. Prior to the 1959 revolution, the municipality was divided into the

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residenti ...

s of Chaparra, Delicias, Estrada Palma, La Lima, La Yaya, Los Alfonsos, Maniabón, Norte, San Manuel, Santa María, Sur, Vázquez, Vedado and Yarey. These toponyms are still in use today though the pre-1959 municipality's borders no longer include Delicias (Antonio Guiteras) or Chaparra (Jesús Menéndez), named for their respective sugar mills, which as of 2012 are no longer operational.

Climate

This area typically has a pronounced dry season. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Puerto Padre has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...

, abbreviated "Aw" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Puerto Padre, Cuba
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Demographics

In 2004, the municipality of Puerto Padre had a population of 93,705. With a total area of , it has a population density of .

Tourism

The town is known for its charming streets, bay views and hilltop fortress. Crystal clear water and white sandy beaches can be found at the entrance to the Puerto Padre Bay. These beaches are popular with locals and visitors alike, their names are: El Rail, La Boca and La Llanita. Tourist facilities are available at nearby beach resort located in Covarrubias beach, which is within the municipality of Puerto Padre.

Monuments and buildings of interest

* Castillo de Salcedo or Fuerte de la Loma: A hilltop fortress (ca.1869-1879). National Monument since 1981. * Parroquia S. José (Roman Catholic church 1892 ) * Iglesia de Los Amigos (Quaker church ca. 1903) * El Liceo, present site of the city's museum, built in 1929 * Parque José Martí (commonly called "de los Vagos" and "La Piquera" ) * Parque Antonio Maceo (formerly Independencia) * Municipal Cemetery, which contains mausoleums and sculptures * Estatua de la Libertad. Statue dedicated to Liberty (1904) * Busto de las Madres. A monument dedicated to all mothers. (1946) * Estatua de Máximo Gómez. A bronze statue dedicated to a general of the Independence War. (1959) * Mural sculpture "Canto a la Revolución" by Mexican sculptor

Electa Arenal Huerta Electa may refer to: People * Mary Electa Allen (1858–1941), American photographer; co-founder of the Deerfield Society of Blue and White Needlework * Electa Arenal (1935-1969), Mexican artist * Electa Johnson (1909-2004), American author, lectur ...

, carved on the façade of the pediatric hospital in 1962 * Sculpture group of Don Quixote and the Wind Mill (1989)

Personalities

Teófilo Stevenson Teófilo Stevenson Lawrence (29 March 1952 – 11 June 2012) was a Cuban amateur boxer who competed from 1966 to 1986. He won the Val Barker Trophy (1972) and was honored with the Olympic Order (1987). Stevenson is one of only three boxers to w ...

(1952 - 2012), Olympic gold medalist boxer *

Yoyo Díaz Heliodoro "Yoyo" Diaz (June 5, 1905 - January 1989) was a Cuban baseball pitcher in the Negro leagues. He played from 1922 to 1935 with the Cuban Stars (East) and the New York Cubans The New York Cubans were a Negro league baseball team that pl ...

(1905 - 1989), baseball player *

Enrique Peña Sánchez Enrique Peña Sánchez (17 July 1880 – 13 April 1922) was a leading Cuban cornet player, orchestra leader and composer. Biography Born in Puerto Padre, a small town in the old province of Oriente, Peña studied with Marcos González and Jos� ...

(1880 - 1922), musician *

Juan Pablo Torres Morell ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

(1946 - 2005), Latin-Jazz Trombonist and composer *

Emiliano Salvador Jr. Emilian or Emiliano may refer to: *Emilia (region of Italy), a region of northern Italy *Emilian of Cogolla, a Visigothic saint *Emilian dialects, spoken in Emilia, northern Italy *A Romanian male given name: **Emilian Bratu (1904–1991), chemic ...

(1951 - 1992), Latin-Jazz pianist and composer *

José Chacón Bermudez José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

(1889 - 1974), Poet and Journalist, author of ''Rosas y Laureles'', the first book which was published and printed in the city in 1915 *

Juan Carlos Perez Rondon ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

(b.1969), Olympic gold medalist baseball player

References

External links

{{Authority control Cities in Cuba Populated places in Las Tunas Province Port cities and towns in Cuba Populated places established in 1541 1541 establishments in New Spain 1540s establishments in the Spanish West Indies 1540s in Cuba