Historic Trinidad, Cuba

Photo feature by Elio Delgado

HAVANA TIMES, January 4 — Founded in south-central Cuba in January 1514 by Spanish colonialists, the town of Trinidad — with its cobblestone streets — maintains a colonial air that has transformed it into a city museum.

Many of its structures date back to the 18th and 19th centuries but remain in perfect condition thanks to the efforts of the Office of the City Preservationist.

The peak of the sugar industry in the 19th century enriched the owners of the local mills, which numbered around 70 in the valley close to the town, and which is why the area is known as the “Valle de los Ingenios” (Valley of the Sugar Mills).
To accumulate their wealth, the owners exploited the labor of an estimated 30,000 slaves brought from Africa.

Large mansions were built in the town, and those that still remain give the city the character of a living museum.
The town of Trinidad, along with the Valle de los Ingenios, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988 for being one of the best conserved colonial cities in Cuba and the Americas.

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