Güines is a municipality and city in the Mayabeque Province

Mayabeque Province

Mayabeque Province is one of two new provinces in Cuba, which creation was approved by the Cuban National Assembly by splitting former La Habana province....

 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 located 30 miles (48.3 km) southeast of Havana

Havana

Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...

, next to the Mayabeque

Mayabeque

Mayabeque can refer to several places in Cuba:* Mayabeque Province, created in 2011, comprising the eastern half of the former Havana Province* Playa Mayabeque * Mayabeque River...

 River.

History

The city was founded in 1737 by the Spanish

Spanish people

The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....

. Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, what is now Güines was part of a region ruled by the Indian chief Habaguanex

Habaguanex

Habaguanex was a Native American chief who controlled the area of Havana, Cuba....

.

One of the earliest mentions of the word Güines is in 1598, when Don Diego de Rivera or Ribera was awarded a land grant for Los Güines Corral.

In 1837, a railway was opened from Havana - the first in Cuba, and one of the earliest in the Americas.

Demographics

In 2004, the municipality of Güines had a population of 68,951. With a total area of 445 km² (171.8 sq mi). It has a population density of 154.9 /km2.

The municipality is divided into the barrio

Barrio

Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...

s of Catalina, Norte, Rural Primero, Rural Segundo, Rural Tercero, Rural Cuarto and Sur.

External links

Guineros.com