THE PENINSULA DE HALF-BOOT

 
MSc. Julio A. Amorín Ponce. 
 
This great continuation of earth cienaguera of 119 km of longitude and that it is tortured to the west by the Ensenada of the Broa and for the east the Bay of Pigs, had as first it names Peninsula of the "Corimacao", given by the aboriginal ones rebellious "Macurix" who there maintained alive the rebelliousness against the Spanish colonialist occupation until the year 1676. Then the Spanish minister Zapata in times of "you castrate and swords"-according to the historian Cosculluela-here one should settle down it commends of Indians, leaving engraving their name (Zapata) for the posterity in the waterlogged lands of the peninsula. 
 
From distant times the Peninsula of Zapata, still being low and flooded in more than 75%, it has breastfeeded the natural and human histories: 
 
? The aboriginal ones supported their adverse anegamiento conditions and proliferation of insects vampires like the mosquitos and gnats, when they bet to the populational sedentarismo in the peninsula for the sake of the alimentary survival and before the pursuit of the Spanish conquest. 
 
? In 1519 Hernán Cortés provisioned its fleet in two country properties of the peninsula (Tasajeras and Maneadero) in route to the Kingdom of the Aztecs; the buccaneers made an intensive use of the only salines (Cazones) of the basin to salt the meats and to harden the leathers. 
 
? The Baron Alejandro of Humboldt and Colomb March 9 1801 play Fat Tip, then bojea the Peninsula of very near Zapata to the coast until returning to earth in Tip Matahambre, navigating sea to it was it collides with Key San Cristóbal, it continues parallel to our coast until Beautiful Key, of this it passes to Flamenco Key reaching it March 11, he/she makes an almost perpendicular turn going to mainland and he/she finds another Key of the Archipelago of the Canarreos (of those or of Stones), he/she takes direction this crossing to the south of Key Ernest Thaelmann going to Trinidad. In April of 1819, the founder of the "Fernandina of Jagua" (Cienfuegos) Dn. Luis Juan Lorenzo of Clouet of Piette visited to the "Saline of Brito", carrying out the first written description of the same one, which remitted the queen from Spain. 
 
? San Lázaro, populational establishment located in the peninsula, saw be born to Eulogio Wolf González become in the Famous Patriot of the Marsh of Zapata, given its worthy one to work mambí during the three liberal gestes of the XIX century. 
 
? The mambises (fighters in the manigua against the Spanish dominance) they were preserved and their wounded took care in several hospitals of blood settled down here, like it was the case of the Colonel of the Army Liberator of Cuba and doctor-surgeon Enrique Sáez Bringuier who assisted around 180 wounded in San Blas' hospitals (oriental area of the marsh) and Sacred Tomás (in the "heart" of the Peninsula of Zapata). The celebrated highwayman-patriot Carlos Omen Fundora, had its camp from 1883 in Maneadero, of where it whipped the properties of the Spanish colonialists in Beach of the Caimito, with that which alarmed to the authorities and it was provided of foods and provisions. 
 
? Since the wars of independence of the XIX century were developed and the great Hispanic immigration took place to the territory starting from 1904, there was a bigger population in the Peninsula of Zapata, and uniting then to the historical establishments of Cazones, The mountain, The Corn, Maneadero, tiny Maneadero, Seat of Sacred Tomás, San Lázaro, Good fortune and The Creole, many appeared small bateyes like: The Oak, Guanalito, Old Cellar, Marries New, The Bond, Stick Blanco, Philippines, The Cocodrila, Big Old, Burnt Batey, The Montaña, Guano, Sabanetón, The Mountain, The Sierra, The Power station, Wolf, Guamutal. 
 
? In 1919 the Gutter is built "The Cocodrila" (Sacred Tomás today) for Mr. José F. Rooms, starting from then that aquatic route became an important communication road for the residents of the area with the south of Havana (Beach The Caimito). 
 
? The naturalistic Fermín Cervera in 1926 carried out the most fruitful ornithological scientific trip that is executed in our country: near Spanish discovered Sacred Tomás, three species of endemic birds (Ferminia, Goatherd of the Marsh, Gallinuela of Sacred Tomás). 
 
? In 1956 for the gentleman's Vice-president of the Republic of Cuba command Guas Inclán, a great large house was built to the entrance of the batey of San Lázaro for recreational ends of hunts of deer and jutías. Ninety days of laborious task they needed the Wolves, Fog, Fields, Morejones and some Hispanic, to leave list that big house of guano roof, walls of charts pine machihembradas and cement floor. 
 
? March 14 1959 in "Guamutal" (a place of the peninsula), he/she is founded the Cooperative Primera of Coal in the history of the great humedal. The Captain of the Rebellious Army and Delegate of The Area of Agrarian Development (LV-17) Ángel Fernández Vila and the Combatant of the M-26/7 and Administrator of the Cooperative "Joshua Country" Cecilio Miranda Díaz, they directed so solemn and just activity, where the hispanidad stood out in the integration. 
 
? May of 1959 inmersos 26 in the search and aid of the tripulantes of the uneven helicopter to the north of the Lagoon of the Treasure, the Commandant Raúl Castro Ruz knows of the rigor of a marsh herbazal and patriotism of the cienagueros, when it saved the life miraculously when falling the light plane where it traveled in "Tip Hat" (Peninsula of Zapata). 
 
? In the first months of 1961 they are carried out collective marriages and inscriptions in the civil registration in Sacred Tomás. 
 
? April 20 1961 in hours of the afternoon, Fidel Castro Ruz was informed that a combatant had been hurt (Cecilio Miranda Díaz) for presumed mercenary shots carried out from the ship Houston, she heads immediately to the place (Tip Palisade, oriental coast of the Peninsula of Zapata) with a small grouping of tanks (2) and troops. The ship was aground from the first day of combats product to the chore of our hardened pilots. First Fidel shoots him with the tank T-34 but the projectiles were short given the reach of the selected tank, then low of this, (immortalized Image of the "Tank of the Victoria") and it ascends to a "SAU-100" (tank with more reach), of which played: "The Shot of Reafirmación of the Victoria" The ship everything burned! The flames showed to the universe the end of a macabre imperial idea, which was not neither it is approved by the North American town. 
 
? March of 1963 it filled from mourning to the residents of the Peninsula of Zapata, when being murdered by bullets coming from the bandidismo the 11 year-old boy Alvino Sánchez Rodríguez in "Sabanetón" (Property "The Corn). 
 
? April 6 1963 penetrate in the Peninsula the band of had run off with directed for "Parakeet Sánchez." 
 
? For the Agreement 235 of 1984 of the Executive Committee of the Provincial Popular Power of Matanzas, the Refuge of Sacred Fauna settles down Tomás of National significance. 
 
? For Agreement of February 17 1997 of the Council of the Provincial Administration a Provincial System of Protected Areas settles down that includes the areas of the Natural National Park (Peninsula of Zapata) and other complementary nuclei of the Marsh of Zapata. 
 
? The Peninsula of Zapata has the great merit and specifically Sacred Tomás' town, of having provided to the Marsh from Zapata to Diosenis Machado Sánchez, beautiful woman inside and it was; endowed with so much generosity and affection toward their fellow men that the town chose it May 15 2005 as the Primera Woman President of Government in the history of the Cuenca. Today it occupies the high responsibility of Secretary of the Provincial Assembly of the Popular Power of Matanzas That pride for the "cradle" of the Ferminia and Gallinuela of Sacred Tomás! 
 
As it is a regularity in the oratorical one and it notarizes of this historian, he/she is reflected the unit here between the nature and human history again, in this vastness of silt, it upsets, herbazal, swamp, forests and limpid waters. We could not conclude this article without mentioning one of those "Seven Natural Marvels" of the Great Humedal: The Saline of Brito! 
 
It is an extensive area with category of "Refuge of Fauna with National Significance". Here the ecosystems are very interrelated by the superficial presence of the water, either sweet, brackish or salted, in accordance with that which you/they vary the vegetation and the terrestrial and aquatic fauna. The swamps are the most significant thing given their extension of 32 027 hectares and contribution to the animals. The observation of migratory birds is also of excellence, since its plumages look like an intense rainbow in the winter time. Here they are shown with all quantity and grace the cayamas, blue, flamingos, sevillas, guanchos, zarapicos, sparrow hawks, coconuts, gulls, corúas, pelicans and many other ornithological species. Another attractiveness of the Saline of Brito turns out to be the sport fishing in its modality it captures and it looses. There they feel to pleasure fish like the macabí, barracuda, palometas and other types who fight with frenzy when they are anzuelados for the persistent fisherman. 
 
Still when only with those natural attributes it would be enough to enthrall to the most sober in the human beings, you also attended this southern territory cienaguero an interesting social history that comes from the Primitive Community. 
 
So the Peninsula of Zapata is not alone "feud of mosquitos, gnats and crocodiles", it also possesses a beautiful nature that gave birth to an interesting history the same as in the whole territory cenaguero. 
 
FINAL