GUANAJAY  , a

town of western Cuba, in Pinar del Rio province, about 36 m . (by rail) S.W. of Havana . Pop . (1907) 6400 . Guanajay is served by the W. branch of the United railways of Havana, of which it is the W. terminus . The town lies among hills, has an excellent climate, and in colonial times was (like Holguin) an acclimatization station for troops fresh from Spain; it now has considerable repute as a health resort . The surrounding country is a fertile sugar and tobacco region . Guanajay has always been important as a distributing point in the commerce of the western end of the island . It was an ancient pueblo, of considerable size and importance as early as the end of the 18th century .