Idea #304 – Visiting the city of Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos is called the Pearl of the South because of the beauty of her bay. Christopher Columbus discoverded this gulf in 1494; it wass inhabited then already by the Indians Jagua. In 1745, the Spaniards established a fortress in the bay to defend it from pirates. The city was founded by French immigrants of Bordeaux and Louisiana, managed by Louis de Clouet, colonel then general in the Spanish army, on April 22nd, 1819. The original name of the city was Colonia Fernandina de Jagua. The city will then be appointed Cienfuegos, name of the Cuban governor general of that time, José Cienfuegos, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of its foundation. Nothing is missing : the theater, the alleys, the citadel of Nuestra Senora of los Angels de Jagua, the cemetery of Reina, José Marti’s former military place and its triumphal arch, the walk of Prado, or the palace of Valle. The old town of Cienfuegos is the third Cuban city to be registered on the UNESCO world heritage list. Let’s go, we are walking down in the old streets of the port !

Where is it ?
Cienfuegos, Cuba Island
Larger Map