Guardalavaca
Encyclopedia
Guardalavaca is a town in the Holguín Province
of Cuba
. It is a tourist
location due to its white sandy beach
es and warm waters.
It is located on the northern shore of Cuba, bordering Bahia Naranjo (Orange Bay), on Cabo Lucrecia, and is part of the municipality of Banes
. Beaches in Guardalavaca include Guardalavaca Beach, Playa Esmeralda, Don Lino and Bahia de Naranjo.
"Guardalavaca" literally means "guard the cow" in Spanish
. There are several accounts as to how this name may have originated; one version maintains that Guardalavaca is a malapropism
for its original name Guardalabarca, meaning "guard the ship". The area was once heavily targeted by sea pirates, and Bahia Naranjo near what is now the town of Guardalavaca is a secluded shallow bay connected to the open sea by a narrow inlet
, which made it a proper safe haven to guard ships against pirates. On the other hand, the name may have originated from pirates going after the cattle grazing in the area. As pirates were spotted, the local farmers would thus shout, "Guardalavaca" - guard the cow.
The Cuban government has attempted on several occasions to change the name of the area as they deem it not to be very appealing; they have so far been unsuccessful.
Holguín Province
Holguín is one of the provinces of Cuba, the third most populous after Ciudad de la Habana and Santiago de Cuba. It lies in the northeast of the country. Its major cities include Holguín , Banes, Antilla, Mayarí, and Moa....
of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. It is a tourist
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
location due to its white sandy beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es and warm waters.
Banes, Cuba
Banes is a municipality and city in the Holguín Province of Cuba.The name comes from the inhabitants Taino language word Bani, meaning "valley".-Demographics:In 2004, the municipality of Banes had a population of 81,274...
. Beaches in Guardalavaca include Guardalavaca Beach, Playa Esmeralda, Don Lino and Bahia de Naranjo.
"Guardalavaca" literally means "guard the cow" in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. There are several accounts as to how this name may have originated; one version maintains that Guardalavaca is a malapropism
Malapropism
A malapropism is an act of misusing or the habitual misuse of similar sounding words, especially with humorous results. An example is Yogi Berra's statement: "Texas has a lot of electrical votes," rather than "electoral votes".-Etymology:...
for its original name Guardalabarca, meaning "guard the ship". The area was once heavily targeted by sea pirates, and Bahia Naranjo near what is now the town of Guardalavaca is a secluded shallow bay connected to the open sea by a narrow inlet
Inlet
An inlet is a narrow body of water between islands or leading inland from a larger body of water, often leading to an enclosed body of water, such as a sound, bay, lagoon or marsh. In sea coasts an inlet usually refers to the actual connection between a bay and the ocean and is often called an...
, which made it a proper safe haven to guard ships against pirates. On the other hand, the name may have originated from pirates going after the cattle grazing in the area. As pirates were spotted, the local farmers would thus shout, "Guardalavaca" - guard the cow.
The Cuban government has attempted on several occasions to change the name of the area as they deem it not to be very appealing; they have so far been unsuccessful.