Placetas

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Placetas is a city in the Villa Clara Province in the center of Cuba, with a population of 42,000. Placetas is also knows as "La Villa de los Laureles", primarily because of the Laurel trees that grow wild in the center of the town. The municipality is only one of 32 municipalities in the Villa Clara province. The town is surrounded by towns like Zulueta (from the north) San Juan de los Remedios (north east), Cabaiguan in the East, Fomento in the east and finally Santa Clara and Camajuani in the west. Cuba's geographical center (Guaracabuya) belongs to this municipality. Placetas is not only a city but also a Municipality ("Municipio" in Spanish). Its surrounded by other small towns: Tahon, Falcon, Central Zaza. Just like any other town in Cuba the city of Placetas was originally divided in "barrios" or smaller localities they were: Cabecera, Guaracabulla, Hernando, Nazareno, San Andres Sitio Potrero and Tibisial. Many celebrations displaying the proudness of each locality use to take place every year, before the Cuban Communist regime stop them in the middle 1990s. Placetas has about 561 square kilometers. Its main communication road is "Carretera Central" and it runs from one side to the other in the town. Its location has always allowed the town to serve as a stop for many who travel through the main road "carretera central".It was founded on Sept 9th 1861 mainly due to the sugar production expansion, the main contribution to its creation came from a Spanish Marques called Jose Martinez Fortun. It was declared a "Villa" in 1881 and a city in 1925. The main Catholic church in the town is called "San Atanasio de Placetas" In memory of the town patron Saint Atanasio. Nowadays, the main produce of the area is tobacco. Even though placetas is a small town it has expanded much behond its original area. As of 1996 it had one library, a main post office, three middle-high schools, one police station and many recreational area. One of the founders of important organizations such as the Red Cross Rene Choy who was also the founder of the Choy clinic and pharmacy, located only two blocks east of the center of town. Most of the infrastructure of the town remains untouched and changed only by time. Most of the structures were built before the Communist regime of Fidel Castro, most if not all of the town has received very little renovation since 1959.

Coordinates: 22°19′N 79°39′W