Villa Clara Provincial Museum should not be confused with Museo Abel Santamaría Cuadrado.
| Villa Clara Provincia Museum (Abel Santamaría) | |
| Native Name: | Museo Provincial de Villa Clara |
| Native Name Lang: | Spanish |
| Location: |  Santa Clara, Cuba |
| Type: | Cultural institution |
| Director: | Margarita González Leyva |
| Owner: | Cuban Government (Part of the "Cultural Complex Abel Santamaría") |
The Villa Clara Provincial Museum (Spanish; Castilian: Museo Provincial de Villa Clara), also known as Abel Santamaría Provincial Museum (Museo Provincial Abel Santamaría), is a museum located in the Cuban city of Santa Clara, capital of Villa Clara Province.
Originally, in the 19th century, the structure was a Spanish barrack called "María Cristina". At the end of the Cuban War of Independence, in 1898, it was abandoned until 1903, when the barracks became the seat of the rural guard and the headquarters of Las Villas Province, led by General José de Jesús Monteagudo, who in 1902 replaced the Major General Alejandro Rodríguez Velasco. It constituted, by its defensive capacity, the third military barracks of Cuba during the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. During the Battle of Santa Clara, in 1958, it was taken by the rebel troops led by Ernesto Guevara. In 1970 the structure was opened as provincial museum and, in 1981, renewed and expanded.
Part of the "Cultural Complex Abel Santamaría" (Spanish; Castilian: Complejo Cultural Abel Santamaría), it occupies its main building and is located over a hillock, in Dobarganes (Osvaldo Herrera) quarter. The museum counts a collection of art, social and natural history related to its province.[1]
The museum halls include: