It is located on the northern shore of Cuba, bordering Bahia Naranjo
(Orange Bay), on Cabo Lucrecia, and is part of the municipality of
Banes. Beaches in Guardalavaca include Guardalavaca Beach, Playa
Esmeralda, Don Lino and Bahia de Naranjo.
"Guardalavaca" literally
means "guard the cow" in Spanish. There are several accounts as to how
this name may have originated; one version maintains that Guardalavaca
is a malapropism for its original name Guardalabarca, meaning "guard the
ship". The area was once heavily targeted by sea pirates, and Bahia
Naranjo near what is now the town of Guardalavaca is a secluded shallow
bay connected to the open sea by a narrow inlet, which made it a proper
safe haven to guard ships against pirates. On the other hand, the name
may have originated from pirates going after the cattle grazing in the
area. As pirates were spotted, the local farmers would thus shout,
"Guardalavaca" - guard the cow.
The Cuban government has attempted on
several occasions to change the name of the area as they deem it not to
be very appealing; they have so far been unsuccessful
