Jiguani

Jiguaní developed beside a river crossing on the road between Bayamo and Santiago de Cuba. Around 1700 Miguel Rodríguez and the priest Andrés Jerez worked to create a parish and gather Indigenous families there. Their effort sought protection for people facing encroachment from Bayamo's landholders. Settlement proceeded slowly, since many families already had farms elsewhere and were reluctant to leave them.

In 1710 new land for a church encouraged movement from Jiguaní Arriba toward Jiguaní Abajo. By 1756 a visitor recorded six streets, a lane and 102 thatched houses. Tobacco cultivation and cattle raising formed important parts of the local economy. Indigenous descendants remained active in colonial society even as official classifications and family relationships changed. During the early nineteenth century residents repeatedly sought the privileges of a villa and a regular judicial authority. A lieutenant-governorship was established in 1818–1819, and villa status followed in June 1837. The community's history combined the defence of land and Indigenous standing with the gradual creation of colonial town institutions.