Cuba - Jiguani
About
15 km east of Esceula de Instructores
de Arts Cacique Hatuey lies a what appears to be a small
village of Iguani. Actually, the municipality has a population of
over 60,000. Many of the students enrolled at Esceula come from
this village. During one of the trips we took during our stay in
Grama Province saw us stop for refreshments in this lovely
community. Being Sunday, the lovely plaza in the center of
town
was blocked off for traffic and many games and activities were set up
for the entertainment of locals.
The name "Jiguani" originates in the Taino indian
language and means "height
of the river". In this area, many families still identify with
their native indian heritage. The physical characteristics of
Taino descendants - short stature, strong physical stamina, copper skin
color, long black hair, etc. is widely evident among the
population.
Jiguani is one of the few areas in Cuba which can make this
claim.
The town of Jiguani was a stronghold and a starting point in the war of
independence in 1895. As we were leaving Iguani, one of the
students pointed out a colonial Spanish fort built in 1513 high on a
hill above the town.
Click on the images below to enlarge...
