Matanzas
Cuba
Matanzas, city, west-central Cuba. It is located on Matanzas Bay (on the Straits of Florida), about 50 miles (80 km) east of Havana. It was founded in 1693, although its excellent bay had been known to the Spanish since 1508 and had been used by pirates. By 1860 Matanzas had become the second city of Cuba, but its growth was slowed as the sugarcane industry expanded into the eastern part of the island. Matanzas has been called the Athens of Cuba because of its active cultural institutions and because of the many scholars and artists who have worked there. It ...(100 of 174 words)