BASING A HYPOTHESIS

 
It should not be divided the study and popularization of the nature and human history in the Marsh of Zapata! 
 
Because all the human historical facts - that are numerous - they have had the complicity of one or of several natural elements and ecosystems. 
 
We could formulate several queries on this matter and all they would have the same and only answer, let us see: 
 
• why in our terruño until today 43 places of aboriginal room are counted? 
R / Because the indocubanos was located near or inside forests and vegetable formations where 1000 species of plants lived that served him from protection, habitat and reproduction to the birds, crustaceans, reptiles, mammals and… many other animals. Also because they had the possibility to fish, to gather for the extensive coast of 175 kilometers of longitude that possesses the great Marsh of Zapata. And something very essential, because they had the possibility to have watery sure and permanent through the numerous acuatorios (lagoons, veneros, casimbas, rivers) that everywhere are observed in the great Humedal. In summary, the nature provided them: protection, food, dilutes and natural medicine. 
 
• why 300 years of Corsican and piracy here? 
R / Because the Marsh of Zapata has the Archipelago of the Canarreos where dozens of keys, isles and first floor are located to the Island of Pines (Island of the Treasure) that represented effective dens for those "sea wolves" in times in that the commercial route toward the New World was developed by the south of Cuba and many later years until arriving at 1830. Those outlaws also had in the roomy Bay of Pigs the scenario for their adventures of holdups and boardings; the numerous bays and creeks helped them to be preserved during bad times of the south, hurricanes and hurricanes. The buccaneers could develop their mercantile activities with the meats and leathers thanks to the salines that are located in the Peninsula of Zapata. In short, the nature provided them protection, hiding place, food, dilutes and natural medicine. 
 
• why so many wild black and fences in the basin? 
R / Of 1840-1886 are considered as the period of more black poblamiento in the Marsh of Zapata, caused by the peak of the sugar industry in the slope or coastal north of the territory. The owners of geniuses clinged to the slavery of the black one to obtain bigger wealth, but in the same way that there was slavery there was also the black slave's rebelliousness through the cimarronaje. They are numerous the interior keys of the Cuenca that take the name of the black ones; also several hills dislocated in the firm one or carso of the marsh. It is indicative that the wild ones in the face of the inhuman slavery preferred to support the rigors of the humedal (mire, cortadera, mosquitos, burning sun, etc.) before perishing in the bunkhouses, traps and reedbeds where the "whip of sugar" slowly it devoured them. 
Then, they went to the great Marsh of Zapata, so that her how mother protector, it protected them and breastfeeds. The black ones made conucos, provisional camps (fences) in very intricate places and where several biotas is located (groups of certain animals), near to rivers, lagoons and veneros; the caves of the oriental area of the marsh also served him as refuge and protection. And the interposed hoyada of north to south, it inhibited a point to the implacable rancheadores that were always to the asecho of the wild ones. We return to the conclusion: the nature provided them protection, concealment, food, dilutes and natural medicine to the wild ones. 
 
• why the mambises established camps, prefectures, hospitals and did they combat so many times in our humid places? 
R / Because the Marsh of Zapata participated in the three liberal wars of the XIX century in Cuba against the Spanish colonialism. Her with their diversity faunística and florística, more with a very favorable topography to develop an irregular war or of guerrilla like the one that made our brave mambises, facilitated the proliferation of camps, prefectures, hospitals of blood and the development of 33 actions of wars of more or smaller intensity. 
It was the topography with an interposed properly this marsh of north to south, the great fauna to feed, the variety of the flora for medications and elaboration of drinks, extensive coast to receive some expedition, the "Bay of the Independence" (Bay of Pigs) that didn't allow the given arrival of Spanish forces the constant surveillance of the insurrectionists, small spaces of floor red ferralítico where to be able to develop the conuqueo, the numerous ones watery and their geographical position between The Villages and the West of the country, the most important factors so that the Marsh of Zapata became the second half of the XIX century in the "Mother Protector" of the good ones Cuban in the manigua redentora. 
They are examples fehacientes of the symbiosis nature and human history in the great Humedal during the 30 years of Cuban insurrection against the Spanish colonialism, from the lift of February 7 1869 where the revolutionary cienfuegueros rose in weapons directed by the General Adolfo Cabada, happening him the lift of February 10 1869 in Big Jagüey, the first invasion to occident in 1875 led by the Maximum Generalissimo Gómez, the Guerra Girl (24 - 8 - 1879 at 10 - 6 - 1880) directed in the marsh by the colonel Cecilio González and the insurgent risings of "The Siren" (neighborhood López, Big Jagüey) and "The Charcones" (Jagüey Boy, Watery of Passengers) February 24 1895. 
Summarizing: The nature of the Marsh of Zapata who determined the protagonism mambí in these properties was. 
 
• why a hardened Union of Forest Workers was born in this area? 
R / Because a great wealth maderable taken place by several vegetable formations exists. Because a roomy Bay of Pigs exists for where to embark the forest products. Because in their extensive coast they could settle down more than 22 points of shipments. Together to a forest culture and communist ideas introduced by the Spanish immigrants among the years 1904-1927, and the necessity to foment the forest worker's unit before the merciless exploitation of the cattle bourgeois entities-forest that dominated to their whim in these humid places. 
As it is observed, a direct relationship exists between natural elements and elements antrópicos (relative to the man). 
 
• why so many celebrated men they have visited until today to the great Marsh of Zapata? 
R / Christopher Columbus in 1494 is impressed by the swamps and existent forests in the proximities of the beautiful Saline of Brito, although the sailing has been painful for the labyrinth of keys that you/they conform the Archipelago of the Canarreos. Hernán Cortés, maximum responsible for the destruction of the Kingdom of the Aztecs, received the kindness in 1519 of the near wandering country properties of pigs to Maneadero, in the Ensenada of the Broa. The Baron Alejandro of Humboldt and Colombl bojeo and it visited some coastal points of the Peninsula of Zapata and keys of the Archipelago of the Canarreos among the 9 and 11 of March of 1801. April of 1819 Luis 8 Juan Lorenzo of Clouet of Piette (founder of The Fernandina of Jagua, today Cienfuegos), it visited our saline leaving for the history the first written description of this beautiful place. Johannes Christopher Gundlanch, great naturalist, intrudes in the marsh in 1850 collecting several species of birds. Of October to December of 1862 receives the north slope of the marsh like happy and proud mother, to an extraordinary 9 year-old boy José Martí Pérez. The mother marsh welcomed in her green lap December 26 1895 (Blanquizal and Sabanetón), to the two commanders that made epic the Campaign of the Invasion Mambisa to occident: Maximum Gómez Báez and Antonio Maceo Grajales. Juan Antonio Cosculluela Barrier and Juan Plasencia, left indelible prints in the humid floor among 1913-1917. Drs. Luis Montané Dardé and Fernando Ortiz Fernández also visited her. Juan Tomás Roig-eminent Cuban naturalist-he/she carried out in July of 1920 a scientific trip for the property "Santa Teresa" until The "Lagoon of the Treasure", "Key Ramona" and "Viradero" (western), where it collected and it classified great quantity of medicinal plants. Fermín Zanón Cervera, discovers in the Marsh of Zapata three species of endemic birds (Ferminia, Goatherd of the Marsh and Gallinuela of Sacred Tomás) in 1926. May-Julio 1945 was the months chosen by the Dr. José Álvarez Count (great naturalist), to carry out paths scientific trips to the oriental area of the territory. In 1954 Oscar Pine Santos (journalist has "Posters") and Raúl Corrals Fornos (great photographer) they traveled from east to occident the Marsh of Zapata. The main leaders of the Revolution led by Fidel Castro Ruz - who made of the marsh its "he/she marries natural"-they visited and they transformed this piece of Cuban floor; Fidel was who devised the hatcheries in captivity of crocodiles and manatees. Reliable statistic doesn't exist to quantify the scientists, investigators, technicians, personalities of international and national fame that have always visited the attractive Marsh of Zapata from the Revolutionary Victory until today, year 2017. And everything for the rich and diverse nature that possesses and that it gave birth to an interesting history. 
 
• why Fidel Castro and the Revolution gave priority to the development of this piece of native floor? 
R / Because besides possessing that riquísima nature, where he/she concentrates the biggest quantity in swamps of Cuba and to constitute their forests those "lungs" of the occident of the Big Island, it is a very extensive district among three important towns: Havana-Shipyard and Cienfuegos. Also because before 1959 to the Marsh of Zapata was called the disparagingly "dark África of Cuba", since the backwardness, incultura, insalubridad was dominated in its population like the own intestinal parasites and mosquitos. 
Here one can also observe the unit between nature and human history. 
 
• why the mercenaries invaded Cuba for this area in 1961? 
R / The place chosen for "the liberation army" - although in the aluminum boats for landing the emblem of the pirates was observed-it was the suitable one to establish a "beach head" (portion of coastal land), to defend it for space of 72 hours, and after promulgating a Provisional Government, to request the direct intervention of the USA and the western powers. 
We affirm the above-mentioned because between the head of the invaders' beach and the main access roads to her (3) he/she intervened an extensive marsh and in certain places with crowd thickness of more than 10 meters; almost always flooded since for then the rains were very frequent and plentiful (1961). A very deep bay the same as the oriental coast between Tip Partridge and Beach Girón, for where ships of great behavior could navigate. They thought them that the nature cenaguera will plot with an unjust cause and it was not this way. 
If the invaders have studied besides the topography the patriotic history of the Marsh of Zapata, has not selected it as warlike scenario in favor of a foreign power the nature cenaguera it is in favor of the justeza and of the peace! 
As we observe, another time the nature stands out as for the occurrence of a human historical fact again, in this case the topography and the geographical accidents. 
 
• why we have international and national categories of conservation like Place Ramsar, does he/she Reserve of the Biosphere, System of Protected Areas, National Park, Outstanding Natural Element, National Monument and others? 
R / For the diverse, beautiful, desestresante and harmonious nature that it possesses the Marsh of Zapata who also gave birth to an interesting history.