Trinidad- a Unesco World Heritage site

Trinidad was founded in the mid 1500’s by the Spanish whose population ebbed and later surged as tobacco and sugar became profitable crops. In the mid 1700’s, Trinidad became one of the most prosperous cities in Cuba and gained much wealth because of the sugar industry and importation of African slaves to work on the plantations.
In about 100 years though, the economy faltered due to slave revolts and the abolition of slavery in 1886. Nonetheless, there is a very old part of Trinidad in the center identifiable by the cobbled streets and pedestrian zone, which was declared a Unesco World Heritage site. It’s packed with tourists but many locals live here as well. It’s not uncommon to see a horse tied up in front of someone’s home.

One of the first things we did was book an English tour of the sugar farms which are located outside the city. Most of them are in ruins but the government is beginning to restore them as the historic value is recognized for tourism. Our guide took the group to one which showed the area of the former slave quarters and the main home under restoration. Plantation owners had to devise water methods for household and agricultural uses.

We also visited a sugar plantation which was fairly intact and contained furniture from the period. This farm, like most, had a tower where the overseer could observe the workers. The tower contained a large bell rung to signal the beginning and end of the work day. All of the ones we saw were made in the US.

Trinidad has several museums but the one I wanted to see, Museo Romántico, is currently closed. It houses a collection of furniture from the 18th & 19th centuries when sugar was the money maker and families invested in beautiful furnishings. Instead we toured the Museo de la Lucha Contra Bandidos, which displays the post 1959 revolutionary fight against insurgents which were attempting to overthrow Castro’s government and reportedly backed by the CIA. It’s interesting to observe the actions of your country from another viewpoint.

Recognize anyone?

One of the best things about Trinidad though, is the ubiquitous music. Every evening, the Casa de la Musica by the center square, has music and salsa dancing for a $1 cover. However, restaurants and bars host musicians during the evening hours so it’s not difficult to find a place to listen to music while you dine. One restaurant we visited had roasted a whole pig and was serving it that evening as their house specialty.

Most people think Cuban food is spicy but we found quite the contrary. Protein such as pork, chicken, or fish is served with a salad (commonly cucumber, tomato & cabbage), rice and often beans, and thinly sliced fried plantain chips. Dessert is often flan with a caramel sauce which quickly gets boring. However, lobster is often on the menu at a price unheard of in the US but out of reach for most Cubans. The disparity is real and startling.

Lobster with typical salad

One of the last things we did was to ride to the coast through a small town called La Boca, to Playa Ancón where there are 2 large hotels and a marina. Many tourists come here for swimming, snorkeling and just hanging out. However, it’s removed from Trinidad and the lively nightlife there. It’s difficult to escape the heat and sun in this tropical climate but a swim in the ocean before heading back felt great!