The people of Santa Cruz County, California, USA (population 260,000) have agreed to join the people of the municipality of Guama, Santiago Province, Cuba (population 35,000) in a partnership called:

Alianza de Guama y Santa Cruz Alliance of Guama and Santa Cruz

or AGuaS

A delegation of 30 people, ages 16 to 86, from Boulder Creek to Watsonville (and all points in between) will meet our Cuban counterparts in the town of Chivirico the week of January 11-18. A formal signing ceremony takes place Thursday, January 16. County Supervisor, Jeff Almquist, will give a speech of friendship and mutual interest in English and Spanish. We look forward to greetings from the leaders of the municipality. Together they will sign a resolution sealing the partnership.

Our focus is on mutual exchanges in four project groups: Health Care, Education and Literacy, Organic Agriculture and Alternative Energy, and the Arts. New groups may form over time as projects develop.

Guama and Santa Cruz County share regional similarities and natural resources which attract tourism: a beautiful coastline, recreational beaches, mountains, and rivers as well as lush vegetation. While Guama has a tropical climate and one of the hottest temperature ranges in Cuba, Santa Cruz has a temperate climate, averaging 70 degrees.