Santa Clara certainly has a tumultuous past, being the site of the final decisive battle in the Cuban Revolution in late 1958. It was also the base for two guerrilla columns that attacked the city, one led by Cuba’s fallen hero Ernesto Che Guevara and the other led by General Camilo Cienfuegos.

Prior to these recent events Santa Clara was a hotbed for corsairs and pirates with the adjoining city of Remedios being under constant attack. In fact the initial townsfolk who later formed the city of Santa Clara were families from Remedios fleeing these pirates. At the beginning this settlement was called Cayo Nuevo, then Dos Cayos, Villa Nueva de Santa Clara, Pueblo Nuevo de Antón Díaz, Villa Clara and finally Santa Clara. Yes, the city had no less then 5 previous names before settling with Santa Clara.