San José de los Ramos is a former town in the east of the

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 ...

n province of

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...

. It now forms part of

Colón, Cuba Colón is a municipality and city in the Matanzas Province of Cuba. The municipality has an area of and a population of about 71,000. The city proper, with a population of about 44,000, is the third-largest of its province. History The town wa ...

. It is located some to the north east of the centre of Colón and east of

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. The municipal district measured and had a population of 9,206 in 1943.

History

San José de los Ramos was founded in 1844 when the first houses were built near the Júcaro railway. At the centre was the church or chapel of the same name. The original name of the community was Cunagua, a native word which is now one of the neighbourhoods. In 1527, it was sold to Andrés Recio and took the name Las Ciegas (The Blind Women) before becoming San José de los Ramos. In 1879, San José became a municipality (ayuntamiento). In 1902, it was annexed to Colón but was separated again in 1910. In 1940, it became an integral part of the judicial and fiscal district of Colón. In 1943, it consisted of the districts of Banagüises (also Managüises) with a population of 4,103, Cunagua, population 1,187, and San José de los Ramos, population 3,916. In the

War of Independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence. List See also * Lists of active separatist movements * List of civil wars * List of o ...

, more than a hundred of its citizens took up arms against Spain.

Geography

The community lies on flat land extending from Colón. It is watered by the rivers Palmillias, Piedras, Las Ciegas and Jigüe. The La Palma River which enjoys considerable flow is fed by three streams, the first from the Lake of Banagüises, the second, known as the Piedra River originating in the Nueva Bermeja and Palmillas and fed by the Jigüe, Macagosa and other streams, and the third the creek of Potrerillo. The La Palmas River flows from San José de los Ramos to its mouth in the Bay of Santa Clara. It can be navigated up to the landing stage known as La Palma.

Economy

In 1957, the community consisted of 534 farms covering 22% of its territory or (. The main crop was sugar cane, some fruit being grown for local consumption. In 1952, there were 10,700 head of cattle. The soil is rich in limestone and clay which is used for the manufacture of pottery and bricks.

Famous citizen

Félix Ramos y Duarte Félix Ramos y Duarte (1848–1924) was a Cuban educator and writer, who was exiled from Cuba in 1868. He moved to Yucatán, Mexico and later lived in Veracruz and Mexico City. He compiled the first dictionary of terms that were specifically "Mex ...

(1848–1924), a philologist and educator, remembered above all for his ''Diccionario de mejicanismos'' (Dictionary of Mexican Spanish), was born in San José de Los Ramos.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:San Jose de los Ramos Populated places in Matanzas Province Colón, Cuba