Hostales Remedios

A Magical City

Graced by 4 centuries of history, the village of San Juan de Los Remedios is an historical and arquitectural jewel with a rich tradition of legends and miths that trascends the boundaries of time. From its traditional Parrandas to its buildings, parks and monuments, the town has a lot to offer to visitors.

Today’s San Juan de los Remedios town is one of the first spanish foundings during the conquest of Cuba during the XVI century; its foundation took place on may 3rd, 1513, but in the beginnings it was turned out into a private feud by the rich conquistador Vasco Porcallo de Figueroa from Extremadura; wich was a man with enough influences in the Spanish Corte as well as among the main monarchy representants in America to adjudicate himself the village and the nearby territories like his particular domain until several years later when the first head of government was created. The town came to be known as the “Eight Village” of Cuba even when it was settled before the majority of its contemporary poblations. At the beginning the village was called “Santa Cruz de la Sabana de Vasco Porcallo”, taking into consideration the date of its foundation: May 3rd, day of La Santa Cruz in the catholic saints calendar, the name of “Sabana”, wich was the name of the original province in the indian language, and “Vasco Porcallo” taken from the town’s lord name. This denomination changed to today’s “San Juan de los Remedios”, when the first local government came into power on June 24th. 1545, day of San Juan Bautista.

The most distinctive element of the region is the Parrandas, yearly festivity that congregates a large crowd of visitors from all the world. This festivity takes place in the night of December 24th or Nochebuena, and consists in a fierce competition between two “Barrios” in wich each one of them tries to overhelm the contrary by showing “Trabajos de Plaza”, “Carrozas” and celebrating with fireworks, music and dancing. Considered the oldest festivities in Cuba, the “Parrandas” were initially promoted by Father Francisco Vigil de Quiñones, who used to officiate at the Church of the Village of San Juan de los Remedios.

Another interesting element in Remedios is it’s architecture: the town is organized in the traditional spanish squeme of concentrical streets around a central square with in this case two churches (the Parroquial Mayor of San Juan Bautista and Nuestra Señora del Buenviaje church) and it owns a well conserved patrimonial area around the park. The Parroquial Mayor church is one of Cuba’s finest churches. The building dates from the late 18th century, the campanile was erected between 1848 and 1858 and its famous gilded high altar and mahogany ceiling are thanks to restoration project 1944-46 led by millionaire Eutimio Falla Bonet .

The city hosts three museums, one consagrated to the life of the genial remedian composer Alejandro García Caturla, the Municipal History Museum with collections reflect the town’s history and development and the Parrandas Museum, devoted to the traditional festivities.