History
The first settlement dates from 1683 when tobacco farmers settled on the lands of the ranches in Sócalo Hondo, Managua, Bejucal and La Chorrera, then under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela. The population grew quickly and in 1694 the first church was built. On June 18, 1725, the settlement was incorporated as the town of Santiago de Compostela de las Vegas by royal certificate and was granted an extensive jurisdictional demarcation to the town. This marked the growth of its political and economic importance.
In 1824, the town was declared a city, allowing their people to raise a statue dedicated to the Spanish King Ferdinand VII, placed at the Recreo Square. In 1831, the monarch corresponded by granting the city with the title of Faithful and Very Illustrious City Council.
In 1836, a government land ownership was created for the city, but in 1840 was instead awarded to Bejucal; however, it was returned again to Santiago de las Vegas in 1845. The city's church was completed in 1800; one of its towers was destroyed by a hurricane in 1846. The cemetery was built in 1814 and closed in 1895 to use the new one built at that times. In 1911 the Consistorial House was built.
The population grew from 3300 in 1861 to almost 11,000 in 1953.
Santiago de las Vegas lost its municipality status in 1976 under the new Political-Administrative Division created by the government of Fidel Castro, and is now part of the new municipality of Boyeros, thus being amalgamated into the City of Havana.
Read more about this topic: Santiago De Las Vegas
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—Ruth Benedict (1887–1948)
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