The most common recollection of tourists coming to Cuba is that this experience gives a feeling of time travel. If a landmark is needed, definitely Cuba’s most interesting point should be Trinidad, a colonial “movie set”.
The city center of Trinidad, which is closed to a significant amount of car traffic, holds buildings from the 18th to the mid-19th century. The cobblestone streets connect with many squares. Plaza Mayor, one of these squares, is without a doubt the heart of the city. In Trinidad saying that all roads lead there. Trinidad houses are usually tiled and single-storey. Large courtyards, huge doors and windows are typical of this domestic architecture. A colorful image of the streets of Trinidad completes with relaxed people, horse carts, bicycles and street animals. Of course, you should not forget the inviting food smells and the traditional Cuban music melodies that spread on the street!

One of the best rental houses in Trinidad

So, how has Trinidad become one of the best protected colonial cities in the Americas? The story is linked to the sugar production.
Trinidad is the third city established in Cuba, though it is within the province of Sancti Spíritus’ territory today. It was founded in 1514 by Diego Velázquez, the first Spanish ruler of the island, under the name of Villa de la Santísima Trinidad. For a long period during the 16th century, Siboney aborigines continued to live in the same region with the Spaniards. The sugar production in the region begun in the 17th century. In the period between 1700 and 1750, the number of small sugar mills operated by five to ten slaves was over twenty-one. The opening of the Port of Casilda in 1778 changed the situation significantly. In 1792 the slave trade was opened. In seventeen years following the suitable settlement of the port, the population of the city grew doubled and more. Trinidad became one of the most important cities in Cuba. Yet the city will live its more splendorous economic development from 1820 onwards. The arrival of the families of Iznaga, Borrell and Brunet accelerates this process. The Valle de los Ingenios established a central position in the country due to its sugar production and slave trade. But this didn’t last long. The dependence of the city on sugar production resulted in a fragile economy. The core mistake of Trinidad’s producers was the choice of not pursuing industrialization but to continue slavery. They attempted to compete in unequal conditions with European producers making sugar out of beet. Although the crisis in the world economy in 1857 aggravated the situation, the main blow is the war. During the independence war against Spain beginning in 1868, about two-thirds of the sugar factories in the region disappeared. Although some efforts were made to overcome the crisis in 1880, the tragic decline of the price of sugar in the world market after 1884 made it impossible to get positive results this way. The resumption of the war of independence against Spain in 1895 was almost a strike to the city. Since then, the city shows little change.

Valle de los Ingenios

It is interesting, but this commercial failure has allowed Trinidad to gain its today popularity. Yet it is also necessary to remark: Trinidad’s tourist region is not just about its historic city center. Trinidad is located between the mountains and the sea. Trinidad gives its back to the Escambray Mountains, home of Topes de Collantes National Park, and its front to the Ancón peninsula, where lies on one of the most beautiful beaches on the south coast of the island.

Please click here to see all articles of Green Caiman Blog.

High quality house rental (casa particular) services: caimanverde.net

Facebook: facebook.com/yesiltimsahkuba

Instagram: instagram.com/yesiltimsahkuba