San Juan de Remedios travel guide

The colonial town of San Juan de Remedios is 43 km northeast of Santa Clara. Remedios was the eighth villa founded by the Spaniards, around 1513-1515, by Vasco Porcallo de Figueroa and for 160 years it was the main settlement in the area. It was never given the status of one of the original villas because Porcallo de Figueroa refused to allow the construction of a city hall. Its location was changed a couple of times, however, in 1544 and 1578, and when pirate attacks and other commercial incentives encouraged some of the inhabitants to move inland to Santa Clara, it began to decline. Not long after the founding of Santa Clara, a fire in 1692 hastened this trend. The present town was built following the fire and there are many beautiful colonial buildings, particularly around the pleasant Plaza Martí, which has some Royal palms and a gazebo in the centre. Traffic is very light and moves at the pace of the many bicitaxis, which can be found for hire around the Plaza.