One day stop in Sankti Spiritus, Sancti Spiritus, Cuba

by lindamura review

► added on 28th of February, 2008

Sancti Spíritus is a little old town near Trinidad built on the banks of the Río Yayabo. Although it does not have great touristic or economic importance, it is the capital of the province bearing the same name.

Tourists who have seen other capital cities would feel surprised that Sancti Spíritus is raised to the rank of being the capital city of the province. There’s not much to see around and there’re few special or significant things to attract the eye. Even the number of its residents says something about its size, it is around 100,000 residents.

The town is lucky to have visitors that drop by on their way to Trinidad which is a much major touristic attraction. A stopover of a day or so is enough to visit everything that there’s to see. For those who like quiet old towns for a holiday retreat Sancti Spíritus can offer peace and tranquility. There’s no hassle and crowded places and you can take it as a base to visit the area.

Maybe one of the most important things about the place is that it was one of the Velázquez original seven villas. The old villas you can see today have their old charm and make for interesting historic sites, not quite as interesting as the ones you can see in Trinidad but still attractive.

The town dates back in 1514 when the Spanish founded a settlement here. Much of the history of the town is pictured in the center of the town that hosts one of the oldest buildings dating a few years later that the town’s foundation: the which along with the houses on Calle El Llano and the Puente Yayayo bridge are considered national monuments.

"Iglesia Parroquial Mayor del Espiritu Santo" is a colonial church in a very good shape considering it’s about 500 years old. It is the most representative building in town and evokes a period of wealth and prosperity even though it is not a huge construction.

If you want an impressive building head towards the Museo de Arte Colonial, a great mansion that once belonged to Valle-Iznaga clan hosting original furniture and paintings and you can also see the family’s collection of porcelain and other belongings.

Calle Llano is the most beautiful streets in tows and it is the oldest being the only one left in town that is made of stone. People take their time to have long strolls on it while admiring the old buildings lined on both sides.

It is exactly the history of the town and its historic buildings that could attract more tourists and the officials have started to improve the face of the town by renovating them.

Another attraction in town is Puente Yayabo Bridge built in 1825 over the river Yayabo. It was built of stone in Romanesque style.

Plaza Serafín Sánchez is a mix of old and new buildings and is the main meeting point in town. Here you can see the Biblioteca Provincial Rubén Martínez.

One more interesting building you can visit is the Casa de los Refranes (House of Aphorisms) on Carretera Central whose walls are covered with built in sayings and slogans.

With its few interesting historic sites and a guaranteed tranquility, the small town of Sancti Spíritus is great for a day’s stopover.