The Valley of the Sugar Mills in Trinidad, Cuba

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Photo Feature by Silvia Sartori

HAVANA TIMES — The Valley de los Ingenios (Valley of the sugar mills) was a main center of sugar production in Cuba in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is located less than 10 km away from Trinidad, one of Cuba’s best preserved colonial towns in Sancti Spiritus Province. The beautiful valley filled with gentle hills and scenic plateaus still features some ruins of former sugar mills that employed thousands of slaves. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.

 

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1- The Valley is easily reachable by car from Trinidad.
2- A high tower(“mirador”) was built in the sugar-producing “haciendas” (estates) to watch the slaves and check on any attempt of escape.
3- This is the only building left of the estate of a once affluent sugar and slave trader. A local association of historians and “aficionados” is trying to restore the original architecture, despite their limited resources.
4- To support the sugar trade, a railway line was established connecting the inland valley with Trinidad and neighbouring ports.
5- One of the railway stops was located close to Casa Guachinango, formerly a major local sugar mill that now serves as a restaurant.
6- A tourist train still runs through the valley once a day.
7- The haciendas were established amidst beautiful plateaus and hills.
8- A small village lives on around Manaca Iznaga, the Valley’s main attraction.
11- Local houses around Manaca Iznaga.
9- The “mirador” of Manaca Iznaga is 44-meter high and can be climbed to enjoy beautiful 360-degree views.
Local handicrafts, including embroideries and hand-made dolls, are sold along the way to the “mirador”.
12- The Valley’s remained predominantly rural.
13- A view onto the Valley from the “mirador”.
14- Royal palms grow on some of the Valley’s hills.
These days, tourism in the area provides locals with additional jobs.