Bayamo

About Bayamo

Bayamo is the capital city of the Granma Province of Cuba and one of the largest cities in the Oriente region.

The community of Bayamo lies on a plain by the Bayamo River. It is affected by the violent Bayamo wind.

One of the most important education institutions in the province is the University of Granma.

Established in 1513, Bayamo was the second of seven cities founded by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar. Francisco Iznaga, a Basque landowner in the western portion of Cuba during the first 30 years of the colonization of Cuba, was elected mayor in 1540. Iznaga was the originator of a powerful lineage that finally settled in Trinidad, where the Torre Iznaga (Iznaga Tower) is. His descendants fought for the independence of Cuba, from 1820 to 1900.

During much of the 16th century it was one of the most important agricultural and commercial settlements of the island. Its inland situation gave it relative security against the pirates who infested West Indian seas, and the misfortunes of Santiago were the fortunes of Bayamo. Down the Cauto River, then open to the sea for vessels of 200 tons, and through Manzanillo, Bayamo drove a thriving contraband trade that made...

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.