Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

PUERTO PRINCIPE (officially, CAMAGUEY)

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V22, Page 634 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

PUERTO PRINCIPE (officially, CAMAGUEY) , a See also:

city and the See also:capital of the See also:province of Camaguey in See also:east-central See also:Cuba, about 528 M. E.S.E. of See also:Havana. Pop. (1899), 25,102; (1907), 29,616. In addition to the See also:axis-railway of the See also:island, which connects it with Havana and See also:Santiago, the city has connexion by a See also:branch See also:line with Nuevitas. Puerto Principe lies on a broad See also:plain about equally distant from the See also:north and See also:south coasts of the island, and between two small See also:rivers, the Tfnima and Hatibonica. In See also:appearance it is one of the most See also:ancient of Cuban towns. Many of the churches, convents and other ecclesiastical establishments were built in the second See also:half of the 18th See also:century, some in the first half; and some parts of the See also:original See also:cathedral of 1617 have probably survived later alterations and additions. Some of the See also:bridges, too, built in the 18th century, are picturesque. The city See also:hall was begun in 1733. There is a provincial See also:institute for secondary See also:education. The city is the seat of a See also:court of See also:appeal.

Puerto Principe is connected by railway, 47 M. See also:

long, with its See also:port, Nuevitas (pop. in 1907, 4386), which is on the north See also:side of the island and has a spacious See also:land-locked See also:bay of See also:good See also:depth, approached through a break in the off-lying See also:coral keys and a narrow See also:canyon entrance. About 5o M. south of Puerto Principe is See also:Santa Cruz del Sur (pop. in 1907, 1640) on the south See also:coast. See also:Cabinet See also:woods, See also:fruit, See also:tobacco, See also:sugar, See also:wax, See also:honey and See also:cattle products are the leading exports. In 1514 Diego Velasquez founded, on Nuevitas Bay (then known as the Puerto del Principe), a See also:settlement that was moved in 1515 or 1516 to the site of the See also:present city of Puerto Principe (or Santa Maria del Puerto del Principe). From very See also:early times the surrounding plains were given over to See also:horse and cattle-raising. As early as the beginning of the 17th century Havana depended on this See also:supply to furnish the fleets of royal See also:ships which monopolized See also:trade between See also:Spain and See also:America. From very early times, too, a prosperous See also:clan-destine trade was maintained with See also:Providence, the See also:Bahamas, and especially with Curacoa and See also:Jamaica (after its See also:capture by the See also:English in 1655). After the capital, Puerto Principe was the richest See also:prize of the island when it was captured and plundered in 1668 by a force of Frenchmen and Englishmen under See also:Henry See also:Morgan, the buccaneer. In the 18th century land grants and illicit trade led to serious disturbances. In 1775 Nuevitas was resettled, and in 178o was made a legal (habilitado) port. After the cession of Santo Domingo to See also:France in ',Soo, the Real Audiencia, the supreme court of the See also:Spanish See also:West Indies, was removed to Puerto Principe. A See also:superior audiencia was created for Havana in 1838, but the older court continued to exist throughout the Spanish See also:period.

Puerto Principe boasts of being the most See also:

Creole of Cuban cities. It was prominent in the See also:war of 1868—78 and in the disaffection preceding and following it.

End of Article: PUERTO PRINCIPE (officially, CAMAGUEY)

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
PUERTO DE SANTA MARIA 		[next]
PUERTO REAL

Site © 2006 - Net Industries