Punta Brava
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| Punta Brava | |
|---|---|
| Town/suburb | |
| Location of Punta Brava in relation to Havana Location of Punta Brava in relation to Havana |
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| Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | |
| Country |  Cuba |
| Province | Ciudad de La Habana |
| Municipality | La Lisa |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
Punta Brava is a small town and suburban ward (consejo popular) of Havana, Cuba, part of the municipio of La Lisa. It is located to the southwest of Havana, with a population of roughly 1500 inhabitants. It has been the site of different military encounters during Cuba's struggle for independence, and is most notable as the site where Cuban General Antonio Maceo Grajales was killed by Spanish troops in 1896. In the early 20th century, Punta Brava was known for its bee keeping and honey.[1]
Contents
Historical relevance
Ten Years' War
During the Ten Years' War, the ship formerly called the USS Hornet landed at Punta Brava loaded with ammunition for Cuban rebels, but its cargo was captured by Spanish soldiers and some of the landing party (consisting of sixty men, mostly Venezuelans) arrested.[2]
Cuban War of Independence
Punta Brava and the nearby town of Guatao were the scene of massacres during the Cuban War of Independence;[3] General Maceo died there in battle on December 7, 1896.[4][5] Fidel Castro referred to Maceo's death in Punta Brava in 1992 ("Maceo, you were not defeated the day you fell in Punta Brava");[6] on the other hand, for Castro's father, Ángel Castro y Argiz, the day Maceo died had been "one of the best and proudest days of that war," since it was his company that killed the general.[7]
The next year, Punta Brava was the site where a naked American named Kelley surrendered to the Spanish commander and was given a shirt and a pair of trousers: Kelley, who had disappeared from Havana in early April 1897, had reportedly told the insurgents that he was an expert in dynamite. They, believing he was a spy, stripped and hanged him, but the rope broke and Kelley managed to escape, naked but otherwise intact.[8]
1906 uprising
In 1906, an unsuccessful insurrection was deemed to be ended after a "negro Gen[eral] Quentin Bandera, the most daring insurgent in Havana province," was killed near Punta Brava with two "mulatto comrades all frightfully gashed by the machetes of the mounted rural guards who ended their careers."[9]
Cuban Missile Crisis
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviets reportedly built a missile site in Punta Brava.[10]
Geography
Punta Brava is located in northwestern Cuba, about 21 kilometres southwest of central Havana.[11] Nearby settlements include Machurucutu to the north, La Lisa to the east, Bauta to the southwest and the University of Information Science is to the southeast.[11]
Transport
Punta Brava lies along the Carretera Central which connects it to Central Havana and Bauta in the southwest.[11] It was connected by railway with its own station from at least 1909.[12] There are several airports in relatively close proximity to Punta Brava including Playa Baracoa Airport to the northwest.
Personalities
References
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- "Punta Brava (La Lisa)", EcuRed (Cuban state-filtered wiki)
