Hato de Holguin: Historical Discordances on its Foundation
- Written by Claudia Patricia Domínguez del Río
- Published in Holguin
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Photo: Carlos RafaelThe academic debate around the historical dissonances of the Hato San Isidoro de Holguin stood out among the activities of the 17th Workshop La Ciudad que queremos, on occasion of the 473 anniversary of the foundation of this eastern Cuban city. Historians and specialists from the Office of Monuments and Historic Sites of Holguin discussed about several theses that even show disagreements about the founding date.
Historian Hernel Perez attributed the foundation of the Hato some 20 years before and its transfer from the area of Yayal, currently on the outskirts of the city, towards what is now known as the historical center between the Jigüe and Marañon rivers, event occurred on April 4, 1545.
Laureano Calzadilla, a professor at the University of Holguin, explained that all researchers agree in describing the foundation of the Hato as a center of late location because it happened in the eighteenth century, the controversy begins whether to locate it in 1545 or in earlier times.
He noted that the same happens with the founding groups since even though many researchers insist that Holguin was founded by Jamaican settlers, and although that possibility is not ruled out, there is scientific evidence revealing that most were Creoles from the village of San Salvador de Bayamo.
The hypothesis is sustained in the predominance of the white population and in the development of livestock as a fundamental economic activity, Calzadilla explained.
While the researcher Jose Novoa, insisted on the responsibility of maintaining a historical date as it responds to popular customs and traditions beyond the multiple interpretations that can be made from documentary sources.
This diversity of criteria is not a problem but an incentive to continue deepening the origins of the people of Holguin and the formation of their identity.
The 17th edition of La Ciudad que queremos will conclude today with a toast to the city of Holguin from the house of the Lieutenant Governor, the most ancient building that still preserves much of the original materials with which it was built.
