THE STANDARD GUIDE. 
179 
Sancti Spiritus. 
Sancti Spiritus, fifty miles southwest of Santa Clara, on the Cuba 
Railroad, was founded in 1514, and has much the air cf a relic of the past. 
The streets are narrow and crooked, and the houses, as a rule, are small 
and of one story, though here and there are veritable palaces significant 
of the generous living of the rich cattle raisem in the years before the 
wars brought ruin. The town is delightfully situated in a rolling country, 
amid surroundings of much quiet beauty. There are green hills all around 
decked with royal palms and giant bamboos, and in the southwest rises the 
Pan of Azucar, bright green to the summit, with groups of other moun¬ 
tains purpling in the distance. Sancti Spiritus has a cathedral dating from 
1630, with quaint statues of Virgin and saints, and a church dedicated to 
La Virgen de la Caridad, her effigy attended by the little boat with the 
salt gatherers of Nipe. Fronting the plaza are the roofless walls of the 
Iglesia del Sagrado Corazon de Maria—Church of the Sacred Heart of 
Mary—which was destroyed in 1898 because of its ill repute as a fever 
breeding place; the bell on the ground is dated 1703; the buildings of the 
monastery which formerly attached to the church are used for a Presby¬ 
terian mission and school, Rev. H. S. Harris in charge. Beyond the 
Yayabo River, crossed by a bridge of typically heavy Spanish masonry, 
are the Yayabo potteries, where one may see the making of floor and roof 
tiles and the peculiar Cuban earthenware in large variety. 
On the United Railways. 
Mention has been made of the daily excursion to Matanzas provided 
by the United Railways of Havana. There are many other interesting 
short trips from the city to near-by points reached by the United Railways. 
Cardenas and Sagua la Grande, elsewhere noted as on the north coast, 
have direct railway connection with Havana via the United Railways. 
Guines, forty-five miles southeast from Havana, is in a highly developed 
agricultural district, and is noted for its fine cattle and horses. The 
scenery is attractive and the place is a favorite resort of tourists and 
invalids. 
Jovellanos is the eastern terminus of the Regia Line and a junction 
for points on the Cardenas & Jucaro Railway, and through trains are run 
from Regia to Santa Clara, with connections for Cienfuegos, Cardenas, 
Sagua la Grande and for the Cuba Company’s line. 
