Cuba

Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios

WHS Score 3.55
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1.0

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2.0

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2.5

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3.0

  • Alexander Parsons
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3.5

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4.5

  • Jean Lecaillon
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5.0

  • Alejandro Lau
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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.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios (ID: 460)
Country
Cuba
Status
Inscribed 1988 Site history
History of Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios
1988: Deferred
Evaluation can continue now that Cuba has indicated this is its only Tentative list Cultural property
1988: Inscribed
Inscribed
WHS Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • iv
  • v
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
News Article
  • Oct. 11, 2008 periodico26.cu — World Heritage Site Trinidad Recovering after Hurricane

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Urban landscape: Colonial
Travel Information
No travel information
Recent Connections
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Connections of Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios
Individual People
Geography
Trivia
Human Activity
  • Sugar
    Valley de los Ingenios: "a living museum of the sugar industry featuring 75 ruined sugar mills..."
  • Slavery
    The ICOMOS document states "In 1827 there were (total population) 28706 of which 11697 were slaves working in the 56 mills"
WHS on Other Lists
Timeline
  • Built in the 18th century
    "Towards the end of the 18th century, the sugar industry was firmly established in the Valle de los Ingenios" and "present city owes its charm to its 18th and 19th century buildings" (AB ev)
News
periodico26.cu 10/11/2008
World Heritage Site Trinidad Recov…
Recent Visitors
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Visitors of Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios
Reserved for members.

Community Reviews

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First published: 28/08/18.

Alexander Barabanov

Trinidad And The Valley De Los Ingenios

Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios (Inscribed)

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.   

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First published: 05/01/12.

Els Slots

Trinidad And The Valley De Los Ingenios

Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios (Inscribed)

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 …

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First published: 21/03/09.

Stewart Ayukawa

Trinidad And The Valley De Los Ingenios

Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios (Inscribed)

Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios by Els Slots

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.

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First published: 01/05/05.

Anonymous

Trinidad And The Valley De Los Ingenios

Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios (Inscribed)

Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios by Els Slots

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.

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