Pinar del Río

Pinar del Río is a city in Cuba. It is the capital of Pinar del Río Province. Inhabitants of the area are called Pinareños. Neighborhoods in the city include La Conchita, La Coloma, Briones Montoto and Las Ovas. Pinar del Río was one of the last major cities in Cuba founded by the Spanish. The city and province was originally founded as Nueva Filipinas (New Philippines) due to the large influx of Filipinos who had arrived by traveling on the Manila Galleons. They brought with them tamarind (also known as sampaloc), camisa de chinos, and arroz caldo (also known as arroz caldoso) Known as Chinos Manila among the local population, the Filipinos worked the huge tobacco plantations much as they did in the present provinces of Ilocos Sur,...