io ▁Y um uri , ▁San ▁Juan , ▁and ▁Can imar ). ▁For ▁this ▁reason ▁it ▁was ▁referred ▁to ▁as ▁the ▁" V en ice ▁of ▁Cuba ." ▁It ▁was ▁also ▁called ▁" La ▁A ten as ▁de ▁Cuba " ▁(" The ▁Ath ens ▁of ▁Cuba ") ▁for ▁its ▁po ets . ▁ ▁Mat anz as ▁is ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁birth place ▁of ▁the ▁music ▁and ▁dance ▁trad itions ▁d anz ón ▁and ▁rum ba . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁Mat anz as ▁was ▁founded ▁in ▁ 1 6 9 3 ▁ ▁as ▁San ▁Carlos ▁y ▁San ▁Sever ino ▁de ▁Mat anz as . ▁ ▁This ▁followed ▁a ▁royal ▁dec ree ▁(" real ▁c éd ula ") ▁issued ▁on ▁September ▁ 2 5 , ▁ 1 6 9 0 , ▁which ▁decre ed ▁that ▁the ▁bay ▁and ▁port ▁of ▁Mat anz as ▁be ▁settled ▁by ▁ 3 0 ▁families ▁from ▁the ▁Can ary ▁Islands . ▁ ▁Mat anz as ▁was ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁regions ▁that ▁saw ▁int ensive ▁development ▁of ▁sugar ▁plant ations ▁during ▁the ▁colonial ▁era . ▁Con sequently , ▁many ▁African ▁slaves ▁were ▁imported ▁to ▁support ▁the ▁sugar ▁industry , ▁particularly ▁during ▁the ▁first ▁half ▁of ▁the ▁nin ete enth ▁century . ▁For ▁example , ▁in ▁ 1 7 9 2 ▁there ▁were ▁ 1 9 0 0 ▁slaves ▁in ▁Mat anz as , ▁roughly ▁ 3 0 % ▁of ▁its ▁population . ▁In ▁ 1 8 1 7 , ▁the ▁slave ▁population ▁of ▁Mat anz as ▁had ▁grown ▁to ▁ 1