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Nederlands (nl-NL) 00:00 • intro | 00:12 • Streets and buildings of Bayamo | 01:40 • Cuban music concert
Personal creation from visual material collected during my trip Cuba (2015)
Map of places or practices featured in the video
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Bayamo
The Spanish conquest of Cuba was made from the east. After having founded Baracoa, Diego Velasquez founded the city of Bayamo in 1513 before going west to found Havana the following year. The conquistadors were not tender ... All the colonization of the Island of Cuba was carried out by successive massacres of the local population, and to replace this population for the arduous work, they organized the importation of slaves to from Africa.
The city had one major drawback, however, which would later prove to be an important asset for Bayamo. Bayamo is not located on the coast.
At first, another city took on enormous importance in the region, Santiago de Cuba.
Troubled times
Colonization of the New World was not always easy. Not to mention the misfortunes of the evicted local populations, the Spaniards had to face competition from other colonial powers, in particular the British and the French, not to mention the Dutch. And at the time, the European powers did not hesitate to call on pirates, who depending on the quality of their relations with power took the name of corsairs. Bloodthirsty looters, but who worked on behalf of their respective king. Their role was on the one hand to enrich themselves but above all to impoverish the enemy. When there was no Spanish galleon to plunder, they relied on the coastal towns. This was the case with Santiago. Tired of the incessant attacks by these buccaneers, many decided to leave the city to settle in Bayamo, inland.
Bayamo, economic center of eastern Cuba
The misfortunes of Santiago made the happiness of Bayamo. The city developed thanks to trade favored by the presence of the Rio Cauto and the port of Manzanillo which offered less facility to pirates than Santiago. And as always, the most successful business was contraband.
To each his own problems
Bayamo, after a few decades of economic boom, was going to suffer from a major flood in 1616. This exceptional flood blocked the river and cut off access to the sea. However, the city was able to continue to trade thanks to the port of Manzanillo, but on a smaller scale.
Ten Years' War (1868-1878)
Bayamo was one of the strongholds of the first major Cuban revolt against the Spanish occupier in the second half of the 19th century. As the Spanish won this war, Bayamo was almost completely destroyed.
Bayamo today
The city of Bayamo has over 150,000 inhabitants and is a charming city like so many others in Cuba. And like everywhere on the Island, the music is omnipresent there.
Videos
• Cuba •
about the place, Bayamo:
Bayamo was a major commercial and agricultural center in the 16th century. It may seem odd, but its location quite far from the sea gave it significant advantages over another important city, Santiago. This distance from the sea protected the city from the many pirates who infested the Caribbean Sea at that time.
The city currently has over 150,000 inhabitants.
Music:
- - YouTube video library - Elogy - Asher Fulero
Disclaimer: Despite its appropriateness, copyright issues prevent the use of cuban traditional music in "Bayamo, city in the center of the island • Cuba", hence the use of royalty-free music. Despite our careful selection, some might regret this decision, which is necessary to avoid potential lawsuits. Although difficult, this decision is the only viable solution.
