Vueltas

Esteban remembered Vueltas as the home of a certain bandit name Menendez who led the Spanish volunteer militia during the war against the Mambís. The entire province of Las Villas teemed with bandits during the last decades of the 19th Century and many of their names and reputations remained etched in Esteban’s mind for his entire life. Over sixteen sugar mills in proximity to each other made the area attractive to marauders and rebels alike. Most bandits supported the rebels, and some were revolutionaries themselves. Some were Robin Hood types, stealing from the wealthy Spaniards and giving to the poor criollos. Others were just hoods, stealing and pillaging the old-fashioned way.