Conservative, but inexorably modern, medieval, and Mediterranean – modest and proud at the same time – the city celebrates its 505th anniversary this June 4, committed to maintaining its beauty, preserving its patrimony, and honoring its residents’ valor.
According to the most persistent historians, the villa was founded on the banks of the Tuinucú River, between two valleys that would later be called El Fraile and Pueblo Viejo, although within a few years a move was made toward the Yayabo, where the city took root, became involved in national life, was awarded its status as a city by Royal Order in 1867, and became provincial capital in 1976.
Upon announcing the festivities, Alexis Lorente Jiménez, deputy to the Cuban National Assembly and president of the municipal government, told Granma, “Some say that Sancti Spíritus is a city that seems to be asleep, but I can assure you that it is very much awake.”
Although festivities had been underway for some time, the celebration began last Friday and will continue through Tuesday, when a solemn session of the Municipal Assembly will be held, to pay tribute to the city and remember the participation of its men and women in all the country’s struggles.
June 4 will be commemorated with a cultural gala around the bridge over the Yayabo River, one of the city’s distinctive sites, and the Teatro Principal, an institution that reaches its 180th anniversary today.