PIRACY TIMES

From 1530 to 1830 the Cienaga and its cays were a safe haven and a feeding site for a large phalanx of “sea lions”, standing out: Diego Pérez, Gilberto Girón, Cornelius Joels, Olonés, Legraude, Morgan and Grandmond.

The first two have been immortalized by the place toponymy:

Diego Pérez carved his name in the maritime cay that served as his den, during the time that he directed pirates in this sheltered area.

Girón gave the surname to a cove that became a beach, which transcends not because of him, but thanks to the socialist patriotism of the Cuban people evidenced here, in April 1961. This daring pirate also had the privilege - although in a negative role - of being perpetuated by the cultural history of the country, all the time, which counts among the main protagonists collected by the first Cuban literary work: Mirror of Patience.

The prolonged presence of brigantines, sailboats, pataches and vessels with a black flag and human skeleton as a symbol, not only clouded the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea that bathes our coastline, but also had a notable influence on the first economic activity (livestock) and folklore of the basin.

There are numerous anecdotes and legends that have been preserved through oral history to this day, related to these bloodthirsty men: “ships, lights, chains, fabulous treasures and pirate routes, still roam throughout the great swamp thanks to the imagination and incessant search for the long-lived native ”.

Many toponyms point to those "sea bandits": The aforementioned Diego Pérez and Girón; Caletas Ávalo, El Ingles; Buenaventura, which had in its founder (Diego Ventura) a close relative of such criminals.

The Buccaneers (pirates on land), transferred customs and ways of preserving salt to cure hides and treat meat. It turns out that Los Lobatos, founders of the San Lázaro batey) preserved such a buccaneering skill for a long time, let's see:

They, taking advantage of the geographical location of the batey - relatively close to the only salina cienaguera - transported in bags, saddlebags or catauros with the help of mules, the necessary salt; depositing it in the same place, a large pile was soon formed that was covered with gray cane and dry firewood, which, being grazed by the flames of an intentional fire, the external salt layer assumed a consistency so hard and waterproof that it could withstand the Sun and water for a long period of time, without damaging the one inside. Thus when it was needed, it was only necessary to open a hole and extract the salt as it had been collected in the vital saline.

     River "La Boca". Seat of a great pirate treasure according to the oral history of cienaguera.

The swamp with its many keys got rid of such degrading tenants, when the United States, with the consent of Spain, officially organized a naval squadron to exterminate piracy in the Caribbean (1821 - 1830), made up of the brigs Esterprise and Spark, the Schark gunship schooners. , Porpoise and Gampus, under the command of Admiral David Poster.