Santa Clara is the capital of the province of the Villas and head of her own municipal term.

This city must its foundation to the project of transfering of the one of San Juan of the Remedies, that by its position next to the North coast underwent in its beginnings of the invasions of pirates and privateers. In 1684 the decree by the governmental authority was dictated. Decree that was not fulfilled until the mayor first of Remedies Don Manuel Rodriguez and the regidor Esteban Diaz made the due claim to governor Severino Manzaneda, who arranged the unavoidable transfer and carrying out it with violence. 1° of January of 1690 celebrated session the first city council of Santa Clara, even though of right outside the one of San Juan of the Remedies, because to the front of the positions they even continued such of that villa.

The first houses built next to the stream Good trip, growing quickly by the affluence of families of different points from Cuba. In 1706 Mrs. Gregoria Perez, owner of the Antón cattle ranch Diaz, donated to municipality one legua for ejidos, whose censuses destined pear the clothes of the military services. The first mass that was celebrated in the new population was in the called place Hill of the Carmen, to whose site and to the foot of a leafy tamarind surrounded by an iron iron door the city council fixed an allusive tablet to the act whereupon the foundation of Santa Clara or New Cayo was celebrated, being used also the name of Two Keys. Later New Villa of Santa Clara was called and popularly New Town of Antón Diaz, soon Clear Villa and finally Santa Clara, that he is the one that has prevailed like definitive and official.

On 1722 the priest Juan de Conyedo founded and made to his expenses, and later he equipped it for its support, the Hospital of Charity of San Juan de God. They soon followed works of the quarter of infantry, quarter of lanceros, the one of artillery, Theater Grammar school and whatever they were necessary to take care of the services of population of fast growth and never interrupted. The church of the Carmen, built on a small height to the north of the villa, I am based on 1744 by Conyedo father and to expenses of its vecindario rebuilt in 1846. In 1746 the works of the hermitage of the Good trip, that it was not blessed and I inaugurate until 1765, with the exception of the tower began, that I am finished in 1790. In 1762 when surrounding to Havana the English, Santa Clara sent a contingent of more than 100 milicianos to fight against the invaders.

In 1793 the church of the Shepherd began to build itself (whose construction was left enough time and serving meanwhile as cemetery until the construction of the present one), that in 1823 was erected in helping, but it was not opened to the public cult until 1827. In 1842 I am inaugurated the Hospital of San Lazaro for the lepers. In 1858 Santa Clara one was made up of 24 houses of two rubblework floors, 746 of ground floor also of rubblework, 224 of table and 140 huts. In 1814 it was elevated to category of party head and in 1867 the title of City was granted to him.