Wender·Vista
Santa Clara
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileCuba
in the centre of Cuba, the city the revolution turned on

Santa Clara

— — the afternoon the armoured train came off its rails.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“Santa Clara sits on the flat green middle of Cuba, halfway between Havana and the eastern mountains. It is a university town with a long arcaded square, a noisy parque at dusk, and a quiet hill called Loma del Capiro that catches the last light. Most travellers come for one reason: this is where the Battle of Santa Clara closed the war in December 1958, and where Che Guevara's remains were brought home in 1997. The city carries that weight lightly, the way working cities do.

from the studio
Santa Clara
— bring it home

Santa Clara, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Santa Clara

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Santa Clara is the capital of Villa Clara Province, near the geographic centre of Cuba, roughly 280 km east of Havana on the Carretera Central. The city was founded in 1689 by families who walked inland from coastal Remedios to escape pirate raids, and grew through tobacco, sugar, and the railway that bisects it. The Universidad Central Marta Abreu was established in 1948 and still gives the parque its student tempo. Population is roughly 240,000.

— the year

The defining event is the Battle of Santa Clara, 28-31 December 1958. A column led by Ernesto Che Guevara derailed an armoured government train carrying reinforcements and took the city in three days; Batista flew out on New Year's Eve. The wrecked cars sit where they came to rest at the Monumento al Tren Blindado on the eastern edge of town. Guevara's remains, recovered from Bolivia, were interred at the Plaza de la Revolución in 1997.

— the visit

The Mausoleo Che Guevara and its museum open most days except Monday, free of charge, with bag check and no photography inside the crypt. The Tren Blindado monument is a short walk east across the Río Cubanicay. Loma del Capiro, a low hill north of the centre, gives the best view of the city at the end of the day and was itself a battle position. The Parque Vidal in the centre is the place to be at dusk.

— where
Cuba · Santa Clara, Villa Clara
— elevation
112 m · 367 ft
— position
22.4069° N · 79.9647° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
45 km NE
Remedios
colonial town
90 km N
Cayo Santa María
coral key
90 km S
Trinidad
colonial town
N
Santa Clara
Remedios
Cayo Santa María
Trinidad
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Santa Clara — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

In central Cuba, capital of Villa Clara Province, roughly 280 km east of Havana on the Carretera Central. It is the country's fifth-largest city, with about 240,000 people.

It is where the Cuban Revolution was decided. From 28-31 December 1958 a column under Che Guevara derailed an armoured train and took the city, prompting Batista to flee on New Year's Eve.

Yes. His remains were recovered from Bolivia and interred at the Mausoleo Che Guevara on the Plaza de la Revolución in 1997, alongside several of his fellow guerrillas.

The armoured train Guevara's forces derailed on 29 December 1958. Several original wagons sit at the open-air monument east of the centre, near where they came off the tracks.

Loma del Capiro, a low hill on the northern edge. It was a battle position in 1958 and now carries a flag monument and a clear view down over the rooftops at sunset.

1689, by families from coastal Remedios moving inland to escape repeated pirate raids. The city grew through tobacco, sugar, and the central railway line.

— about the piece in your home

It often is. Santa Clara carries a particular weight for Cubans who follow the revolution's history, and for families with ties to Villa Clara. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio travels well.

The deep greens and warm reds sit well with Latin Modern, Mid-Century, and tropical-modern rooms. The piece holds its own against dark walnut, terracotta, and unbleached linen.

It reads as Latin Modern, a quieter cousin of the maximalist Havana palette. It also works in heritage-modern interiors that lean on a single strong historical image.

A single Large over a console, a four-tile Mural over a standard sofa, and a nine-tile Mural over a long sectional or a dining sideboard.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. The colour is infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so steam and splash do not lift it.

A soft microfibre cloth and water. No abrasive pads, no solvents. The thin glossy finish lifts fingerprints with a single pass.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in-house, in our stained-glass and alcohol-ink language, and made on our own ceramic line. Nothing is licensed in.

— if this one stayed with you

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