[1] The construction of a railway between Cienfugos Province and Villa Clara began in 1848, causing an economic boom and the expansion of the town.

[citation needed] The railway reached the town in 1855.There were five sugar mills in the vicinity of Cruces, known by the traditional names San Francisco, Andreita, Santa Catalina, Caracas and Hormiguero.

[citation needed] In 1909, a monument was commissioned to mark the location of the mass grave of Spanish and Cuban casualties of the Battle of Bad Weather.

"Quien intente apoderarse de Cuba, recogerá el polvo de su suelo anegado en sangre, si no perece en la lucha" - Antonio Maceo This inscription translates loosely to "In this historic place on December 15, 1895, the liberator and general Antonio Maceo y Máximo Gómez defeated the forces of the Spanish in a decisive battle, demonstrating once again the courage, bravery, and steadfastness of our heroic Mambises.

[4] The nearby Mal Tiempo (previously "Andreita") sugar mill remains active, while the Marta Abreu (previously "San Francisco") sugar mill was put into "reserve" status by the Cuban government under the 2002 restructure of the country's sugar-producing industry.

It is located in the northwestern part of the province of Cienfugos, bounded on the north by Ranchuelo, on the south by Palmira, on the East by Cumanayagua, and on the west with Lajás.