Guatemala, Cuba

Guatemala, also known as Preston, is a Cuban village and consejo popular ("people's council", i.e. hamlet) of the municipality of Mayarí, in Holguín Province.

Guatemala

Preston
Village
Guatemala, old central sugar refinery
Location of Guatemala in Cuba
Coordinates: 20°45′12″N 075°39′02″W
Country Cuba
ProvinceHolguín
MunicipalityMayarí
Elevation
8 m (26 ft)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
Area code(s)+53-24[1]

History

In the first half of the 20th century, the village was a sugar cane processing center owned and operated by the United Fruit Company and named in honor of one of the company's founders, Andrew W. Preston. In the Caribbean, processing centers for cane sugar are referred to by the Spanish term "central". Following the Cuban Revolution of 1958, United Fruit was forced to withdraw and the Cuban government renamed the town Guatemala to symbolize solidarity with that Central American nation. Due to decades of neglect and failure to modernize the mill - not to mention declining global prices for sugar - the mill/central was closed around 1990 and the village went into decline.[2]

Geography

The village is located in the Nipe Bay, 14 km in north of Mayarí. It is 27 km far from Nicaro-Levisa, 34 from Cayo Saetía, and 98 from Holguín.

Transportation

Guatemala was served by the Preston Airport (IATA: PST).

See also

References
  1. Dialing code of Guatemala
  2. Personal recollection of Preston by a former American resident and United Fruit employee.
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