Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios

Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios
Photo by Els Slots.

Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios are testimony to the sugar trade, which resulted in Trinidad's prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Trinidad was founded already in 1514, but the remaining buildings date from the sugar boom and include impressive public buildings and single-storey domestic houses with verandas and multi-coloured walls. In the San Luis, Santa Rosa and Meyer valleys, areas of sugar production remain such as sugar mills, villages of craftsmen, plantation houses and slave quarters.

Community Perspective: Trinidad’s small, well-preserved city center attracts hordes of tourists. The Valley of the Sugar Mills nowadays seems devoid of sugarcane.

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Alexander Barabanov

Russia - 22-Aug-18 -

Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios by Alexander Barabanov

Visited this site in May 2018.

Trinidad is super star attraction of Cuba. As for me, this was really the most authentic town with earliest clocks stopped in my life (ignoring Pompei, of course). Trinidad has accumulated its fortune thanks to booming sugar mills in the neighboring Valle de los Ingenios. Cobblestone streets are leading to the central square with Iglesia Parroquial de la Santissima Trinidad (and internet catching crowds on the steps). While strolling the streets you could glimpse into the old houses and see the pictures from real life of the locals watching TV, relaxing or chatting with each other. Tourist crowds make sure that Trinidad is also packed by cozy cafes, interesting art galleries and classic Cuban music venues, including Casa de la Musica and Casa de la Trova.

We enjoyed Trinidad and this is certainly top site with three Heritage Michelin stars. Very atmospheric place.   


Els Slots

The Netherlands - 05-Jan-12 -

Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios by Els Slots

Trinidad is one of Cuba's most iconic destinations. It attracts hordes of tourists into its small, well-preserved city center. If you stay overnight, and it is valuable to do so because of the various things to see in the surrounding area, you'll enjoy its old-fashioned tranquillity in the early mornings. Dogs going for a walk on their own, street sellers roaming the streets with milk, bread, or cheese, the soft ticking of horse hoofs.

The town has a couple of picturesque sights. The large yellow bell tower for example. It can clearly be seen, like the rest of the small colourful houses, from the roof of the museum. The day I was there, a kind of ash cloud blowing in from the countryside covered the city. While eating my breakfast on the casa's patio, tiny strips of black ash started to cover everything. A common occurrence here, so I heard.

At inscription, Unesco cast doubts over safeguarding the industrial architecture that remains from the sugar period. I went to see for myself and used the tourist steam train to get into the so-called Valley of the Sugar mills. Most remarkable: there's almost no sugarcane left! The landscape is quite pretty, but not what I had expected. Scattered in the valley some industrial heritage still exists. The main site is the former Slave Tower at Iznaga. You can still climb up to the very top, and look out 360 degrees like they did to watch the slaves. I cannot say that there is much more to explore. The village has made the best out of the daily load of train and bus tourists and is selling embroidery.


Stewart ayukawa

canada - 21-Mar-09 -

I visited Trinidad in 1990 while staying at a resort several kms away. I went into town on a motor bike with a group and a local guide. The small town was pretty and painted in pastels. The local people were friendly. It was a pleasant place with lots of flowers and singing birds in cages in front of people's homes. Quaint and worth an hour or two at most.


Michiel van der Veur

Netherlands Antilles -

Trinidad is like walking back into time.

The city centre is characterised by low rise houses and small cobble stone streets. No cars are allowed in the centre, making it sometimes surrealistic to walk around in this city, adding much to this back in time experience.

You wake up with the sound of people selling bread and milk, the chickens looking for food and a cow pulling a cart.

Of course Trinidad has some cigar factories and a Casa de la Musica. In the evenings the square in front of the Casa is the centre of entertainment: the old city, music, dancing, cigars and rum all blend into this incredable atmosphere.

Trinidad can easily be reached by bus. Viazul is very reliable (in 2001), but the busses are extremely cold since the airconditioning has only one grade: feezing.


Site Info

Full Name
Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios
Unesco ID
460
Country
Cuba
Inscribed
1988
Type
Cultural
Criteria
4 5
Categories
Urban landscape - Colonial
Link
By ID

Site History

1988 Deferred

Evaluation can continue now that Cuba has indicated this is its only Tentative list Cultural property

1988 Inscribed

Locations

The site has 2 locations

Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios: Ciudad de Trinidad Cuba
Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios: Valle de los Ingenios Cuba

Visitors

Community Members have visited.

AC AGuzzo Aalberty Aidan Coohill Alberto Rodriguez Gutierrez Alessandro Votta Alexander Barabanov Alexander Parsons Alfons and Riki Verstraeten Ali Zingstra AliciaLee711 AmandaMcCadams Ana Lozano Andrea & Uwe Zimmermann Anjimo Anna Wludarska AnnaRt Anne Brockenshire Anonymous15788 Askyndr Atila Ege Bdella Bob Parda Bram de Bruin Brigitte Huber Carlos Caminando Carstenhansen CascadianRain Cec Cgrannem Cheri O Cheryl Christian Wagner Claire Bradshaw Clem C Craig Harder Criterion Ctravel Czesioszpachelka Daniela Hohmann Davied Deffra Dimitrios Polychronopoulos Donald M Parrish Jr Donnico Drinkteatravel ELVAN YURDUSEN Els Slots Emily Cullen Erdem Engin Tavlayan Eric Lurio Eric PK Eternalarrival Eva Kisgyorgy FGKJR1492X Fan Yibo Femke Roos Filip Murlak Flitterfever Geert Luiken George Evangelou George Gdanski GerhardM Gernot Gisella Greg Troy Handballrama Hanming Harald T. Harry Mitsidis Headventure Hidalgo Hidalgo Homadism Howard Howard Brayer Hsjamsil IC Iain Jackson Ian Coldwell If-pilot Ingrid Inigo Cia Irena Klementov Iriss Isabel Aguirre Ivan Rucek Izzet Ege Jacob Otten Jaroslav Klement Jballard650 Jean Lecaillon Jens Jgera Jiangliu bian Joaofg JobStopar Jon Eshuijs Jonas Kremer Jonathanfr Jos Schmitz Jose Joshuakirbens Josie Borst Joyce van Soest Jsalda Judit Dalla Judith Tanner JudyWalsh Jwflorida KB1 Karin Heyl Kasienka5 Kelly Henry Kelseyyurek Keqi Kjlchiang Klaus Bondar Krijn La caperucita roja Lara Adler Lars Jensen Leontine Helleman Lidiane Lizzy Loic Pedras Longdutch Longo.ilaria Loratodorova Lucio Gorla Ludvan Lukasz Palczewski MH Maciej Gowin Maki Wang MalBee Malgorzata Kopczynska Maltishah100 Marcel staron Maria Marta Lempert Martin Funkhauser Martin Lind (Switzerland) Martina Rúčková Marvin B. Maryaton Mateusz Mathieu Mazeman Melinda Baumann Merveil Michael Ayers Michael anak Kenyalang Michal Kozok Michal Marciniak Michiel Dekker Mikael Bjork Mikal Ahmet Mikko MonaSynnove Monica66 Morodhi NataliaS Neil McPaul Nickole1980 Nihal Ege Out4astroll Palka25 Paola Laura Pascal Cauliez Patrik Paul RYKEN Paul Schofield Philipp Leu Pieter Dijkshoorn Randi Thomsen Reinhardt Reza Riccardo Quaranta Roman Bruehwiler Roman Raab SHIHE HUANG Sabrina Liebehentschel SaoDies Sascha Grabow Sazanami SeehooInterglobal Shaka_schulz Shannon O'Donnell Shep894 Shkedy_uri Sibariam Sofia SJM Solivagant Stanislaw Warwas StaziG Svein Elias Szucs Tamas Tamara Ratz Tangopium Thomas van der Walt Tjagmax Tkinou Tony Hunt Triath Truls Brekke Uwebart Vanessa Buechler Vanjavod Vidiot Vlad Lesnikov Werner Huber Wolfgang Hlousa WolfgangHl Wouter Xavier b Zizmondka Zoë Sheng