Cruz, Celia, 1929-2003, Cuban-American singer, b. Havana. The "Queen of Salsa" began singing as a teenager, and in 1950 joined Sonora Matancera, Cuba's most popular band. She left Cuba a year after Fidel Castro came to power (1960) and was an exile in the United States for the rest of her life. Over the years Cruz sang with nearly every major Latin band, and was particularly noted for her appearances with Tito Puente's orchestra. A fiery performer who wore skintight costumes and billowing blonde wigs, she sang (in Spanish) a range of Afro-Cuban songs, from traditional Santería chants to popular mambos, cha-chas, and the salsa for which she was famous. An international star and an icon to the Cuban-American community, she toured widely, sang in clubs and concert venues, and made more than 70 recordings.

Cruz, Juana Inés de la: see Juana Inés de la Cruz.

Cruz, Juan de la: see John of the Cross, Saint.

Cruz, Ramón de la, 1731-94, Spanish dramatist. He wrote tragedies and adapted French and Italian plays, but he owes his fame to his sainetes, some 450 masterly one-act comedies that depict the life of the middle and lower classes. His work freed the awakening Spanish drama from foreign influence.

Port city (pop., 2001: 188,477), capital of the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain. Founded in 1494, it occupies a small plain between two usually waterless ravines. It was attacked by the British in 1657 and 1797; the latter assault was led by Horatio Nelson. After 1877 growth was spurred by the banana and tomato trade and, later, by harbour improvements and tourism. In 1936 Francisco Franco, then captain general of the Canary Islands, organized from Santa Cruz the national uprising that led to the Spanish Civil War. Industries include oil refining.

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City (pop., 2001: 1,116,059), east-central Bolivia. Founded by Spaniards from Paraguay in 1561 at what is now San José de Chiquitos, it was attacked repeatedly by Indians until 1595. It then was moved to its present location and renamed Santa Cruz de la Sierra. In 1811 its inhabitants declared their independence from Spain. Bolivia's largest city, it is a trade centre for crops, including sugarcane and rice, grown in the surrounding area. It has an oil refinery and is the seat of a university.

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(born Oct. 21, circa 1929, Havana, Cuba—died July 16, 2003, Fort Lee, N.J., U.S.) Cuban-born U.S. singer. She was studying to become a teacher in her native Havana when she won a talent show, after which she began to pursue a singing career. In the early 1950s she became lead singer with the popular orchestra La Sonora Matancera, often headlining at the famous Tropicana nightclub. After Cuba's revolution of 1959, the orchestra moved to Mexico and later to the U.S. In 1962 Cruz married its first trumpet player, Pedro Knight, who became her manager after she left the group. In the 1960s she released more than 20 albums in the U.S., including seven with Tito Puente. She became identified with salsa, a dance music that evolved from the musical experimentation of various Hispanic musicians with Caribbean sounds during the late 1960s. Cruz was the subject of a 1988 BBC documentary and appeared in films such as The Mambo Kings (1992).

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(born Oct. 21, circa 1929, Havana, Cuba—died July 16, 2003, Fort Lee, N.J., U.S.) Cuban-born U.S. singer. She was studying to become a teacher in her native Havana when she won a talent show, after which she began to pursue a singing career. In the early 1950s she became lead singer with the popular orchestra La Sonora Matancera, often headlining at the famous Tropicana nightclub. After Cuba's revolution of 1959, the orchestra moved to Mexico and later to the U.S. In 1962 Cruz married its first trumpet player, Pedro Knight, who became her manager after she left the group. In the 1960s she released more than 20 albums in the U.S., including seven with Tito Puente. She became identified with salsa, a dance music that evolved from the musical experimentation of various Hispanic musicians with Caribbean sounds during the late 1960s. Cruz was the subject of a 1988 BBC documentary and appeared in films such as The Mambo Kings (1992).

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Cruz is a surname of Iberian origin. It means “cross” in Spanish and Portuguese. The word "Cruz", as well as "Vera Cruz" ("True Cross") and "Santa Cruz" ("Holy Cross") are used as surnames and topological names.

Cruz refers to:

Persons

• Adolfo Cruz (contemporary), Argentine Formula One race car driver
• Alex Cruz (contemporary), American amateur astronomer
• Alexis Cruz (1974–), Puerto Rican-American actor
• Andrés de Santa Cruz (1792–1865), Bolivian, President of Peru and President of Bolivia
• Aurea Cruz (1982–), Puerto Rican volleyball player
• Tony Sunshine (Antonio Cruz) , Puerto Rican R&B singer
• Bobby Cruz (1937–), Puerto Rican salsa singer and religious minister
• Brandon Cruz (1962–), American actor and musician
• Carlos Cruz also known as Teo Cruz (1937–1970), Dominican boxer
• Carmen Cruz is adult actress
• Celia Cruz (1924–2003), Cuban salsa singer
• Claudia Cruz (contemporary), Dominican Miss World contestant 2004
• Ernesto Gómez Cruz, Mexican actor
• Eva Cruz (1974–), Puerto Rican volleyball player
• Flavio Cruz (1982–), Portuguese volleyball player
• Gemma Cruz, Former Miss International
• Iohana Cruz (1980–), Cuban diver
• Jacqueline Cruz Silva (1962–), Brazilian beach volleyball player
• Joaquim Cruz (1963–), Brazilian athlete and Olympic gold medal winner
• José Cruz also known as Cheo Cruz (1947–), Puerto Rican baseball player
• José Cruz, Jr. (1974–), Puerto Rican baseball player
• Juan Cruz (1978–), Dominican baseball player
• Juan de la Cruz (1542–91), Spanish friar and poet
• Juan-Carlos Cruz (contemporary), celebrity chef
• Julio Cruz Argentina football striker
• Leo Cruz (1957–), Dominican boxing champion
• Magdalena de la Cruz (1487–1560), Spanish Franciscan nun of Cordova
• Monica Cruz (1977-), Spanish dancer and actress; sister of Penelope Cruz
• Nicky Cruz (1938–), Puerto Rican-American ex-gang leader and religious minister
• Nilo Cruz (1962–), Cuban-American playwright and Pulitzer prize winner
• Oswaldo Cruz (1872–1917), Brazilian physician, bacteriologist, and epidemiologist
• Penélope Cruz (1974–), Spanish actress
• Rayver Cruz (1989–), Filipino Actor/Dancer
• Roque Santa Cruz (1981–), Paraguayan football player
• Sheryl Cruz (contemporary), Filipino actress
• Taio Cruz (1983–), British singer
• Ulises de la Cruz (1974–), Ecuadorian football player
• Wilson Cruz (1973–), Puerto Rican-American actor
• Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Mexican nun and poet
• Cruz Bustamante (1953–), American politician
• Vincent Cruz Karate instructor and author
• Cesar Jeronimo Cruz Chicano(1977-) Co-Founder of Latina/o Psychology Association AT SDSU

Fictional characters

• Soma Cruz, character in the video game CastleVania: Aria of Sorrow
• Cruz, Fighter from Def Jam Vendetta and Def Jam: Fight for NY.
• Cruz de la Cruz, a central character in John H. Ritter's baseball novel and his family's verisimilitudinous Web site
• Maritza Cruz, police sergeant in the television drama Third Watch.
• _Girl_Meets_Girl_characters#Tomari_Kurusu A character from the anime and manga Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl. Her last name is from Cruz.
• Ramiro "Ram" Cruz, the main protagonist of the games Total Overdose and Chili Con Carnage.

Places

• Achadas da Cruz, parish in the district of Porto Moniz, Madeira, Portugal
• Cruz Bay, city on the island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands
• Osvaldo Cruz, municipality and county in the state of São Paulo, Brazil
• Porto da Cruz, parish in the district of Machico, Madeira, Portugal
• Puerto de la Cruz, town in the Canary Islands, Spain
• Puerto La Cruz, coastal city in Anzoátegui state, Venezuela
• La Cruz, Chile
• La Cruz, Chihuahua, in Mexico
• La Cruz, Tamaulipas, in Mexico
• La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, in the Mexican state of Nayarit

Other

• Cruz, the 1998 Mexican film.
• Cruz Records, a record label
• Cruz Azul, Mexican football team
• Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (Oswaldo Cruz Institute), biomedical research institute in Brazil
• Island of Vera Cruz, first name given by Brazil by early explorers
• Juan de la Cruz, name used in the Philippines similar to John Doe in the USA
• USS Point Cruz, escort aircraft carrier of the U.S. Navy commissioned just after WWII
• Santa Cruz (Mumbai), suburb in Mumbai

See also

• De la Cruz surname page
• Santa Cruz page
• Veracruz (disambiguation page)