Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-06-01
A VISIT TO MATANTAS.
PICTURESQUE CUBAN CITY ON
NORTH COAST OF
ISLAND.
Route Through Interesting Country
Rich Red SOiI-Two Crops Of
Corn a Year.

on either side of the track the rail
road between Havana and Matanzas
are seen countless thousands of royal
palms, some i'm stately avenues which
might indicate existing or ancient
boundaries or entrances to the coun-
try homes OF rich planters and Others
Others are scattered about sparsely
and promiscuously on hilltop and in
valley. The palm tree in Cuba is
everywhere a conspicuous object char
acteristic of the landscape, presenting
itself in new groupings and settings in
an eyer-changipg picture of which IL
is the central feature.
Besides the everywhere conspicuous
palm there is the ceiba, a tree whose
massive trunk upholds its umbrella
like canopy and being very giant
among trees, often assumes gro
tesuue form and commands attention.
The ceiba trees are especially con
spicuous, as they rise isolated out Of
the level plains. To the American
tourist, especially TO him who is ae-
customed to pass the winter in higher
latitudes. and such a climate as Mary
land affords, the most striking feature
of the Cuban landscape in February
and March is the evergreen foliage,
the grass-covered fields ard the
blooming flowers eyerywhere-a per-
ennial spring. an ideal summer, a
land of sunshine and blossoms, blue
skies and balmy breezes.
All along the route from Havana
to Matanzas are to be seen shacks
of the farmer constructed of the fTOnds
and bark of the royal palm, similar
to shacks pictured in scenes from the
F1fG still N
the Indian name of ''bohio, and
they are built by the Cuban OF today
after the fashion of the huts of the ma
tives of ths time when Columbus land
ed in these shores. Large families
live in these huts or shacks made of
palm. and children play about the en-
trance as innocent of clothing as were
the Indians whmo Columbus first saw.
In this, as in some other respects,
the primitive Cuban fashions have
not changed
The lines of the town of Matanzas
were laid out October ], 1893, and
the name was given of San Carlos
Aleazar de Matanzas. The Spanish
word ''matanzas' means slaughter, and
there are various explanations given
as to why the place was so called.
one OF the legends has it that in the
early days OF the Spaniards in Cuba a
vessel bound from Santo Domingo to
the Luccas (Bobamas) was sbipwreck-
ed near the harbor. There were thirty
Spaniards and two Spanish ladies
in the shipwrecked vessel. The In
dians carried the Spaniards across the
river, treacherously upset their canoes.
and drowned all except three men
and one woman, who escaped to tell
of the matanZa.
Still another legend mas it that the
town took its name from the slaughter
of the last unfortunate remnants of the
aborigines, who had fled TO the caves
of the vicinity for refuge and conceal
inent. Yet another-a third and more
prosaic theory, is that the town was
established on the site of a slaughter
house owned by Havana butchers.
In the long years of the struggle for
liberty the Cubans called the city "El
Suelo Natal de ndependencia'-Bi
place of Independence of
the activity of the revolutiOnists of
Matanzas.