The small municipality of La Cuba, with 43 inhabitants, is located 882 meters above sea level on the border of the province of Teruel and Castellón.
Historical introduction
When the town was reconquered by King Alfonso II, it passed into the hands of the Order of the Temple and became part of the Baylía de Cantavieja. It received a Town Charter in 1241 in favor of thirty settlers who were heads of families. It stipulated the channels of the relationship between the Order and the neighbors who would populate La Cuba. After the dissolution of the Temple, the town, along with the entire Baylía, became dependent on the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, to which it belonged for 500 years. In the 19th century, it suffered the ups and downs of the Carlist Wars and, in the 20th century, the Civil War. At the beginning of the twentieth century the term of La Cuba had 8 farmhouses located next to the cattle herds that, coming from the Kingdom of Valencia, penetrated into the Maestrazgo.
Interesting heritage
La Cuba preserves an interesting architectural ensemble, being able to emphasize the whitewashed buildings of half height located in the Calle de Enmedio, the parish church of San Miguelbaroque building from the XVIII century, and the Town Hall. In the immediate vicinity of this monument we find the Pellericha large orthogonal stone block that was used to do justice in the past. Also, on the outskirts of the town is the hermitage of San Cristobal, built in the sixteenth century.
Cuba today
The current economy of the municipality is based on livestock and agriculture, but in the past, most of its population was dedicated to the work of esparto grass, for which they were known throughout the area. This craft was of vital importance because esparto grass was used to make all kinds of tools for work and daily life. This artisan tradition has been collected in the Esparto de la Cuba Interpretation Center..
