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| Plaza Mayor |
Trinidad, Cuba, is one of the oldest cities in the Americas.
That made taking the tour offered by Viking Cruise Lines one of our priorities.
So, our first afternoon in Cuba, shortly after arriving at the Bahía de
Cienfuegos, we boarded the tenders and then transferred to the buses for the
two-hour ride to this beautiful old city.
The city of Trinidad was
founded in 1514 by Diego
Velázquez de Cúellar, a Spanish conquistador. It was built about two
miles in from the coast, to help protect from pirate raids. It quickly became
the center of sugar trade for Cuba. By the late 1700’s the surrounding Valle de los
Ingenios (Valley of
the Sugar Mills) was home to tens of thousands of acres of sugar plantations,
fifty sugar mills and over 30,000 enslaved Africans. Trinidad was home to the
plantation owners and those whose work benefited from the industry. There was a
lot of wealth in the city by that time and the owners of the plantations built
many fine houses for their families.
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| Manaca Tower |
Our first stop was at Manaca
Iznaga, a former sugar plantation just northeast of Trinidad.
The bus dropped us off along the main road and we walked about 150 m up the
hill to the main house. We received our first experience with Trinidad’s
cobblestone street. These are not the well fitted blocks that you see in New
York or Europe, here they used the stones that had served as ballast in ships
coming from Europe. So, you have rounded stones of random shape and size,
making walking on them somewhat difficult. We also ran a gauntlet of vendors,
mostly selling embroidered table cloths and runners. This was the only place in
Cuba that we encountered really aggressive vendors.
The plantation house has been restored, and today serves as a
restaurant. In back of the house an old sugar mill that has been placed much
closer to the building than it would have been in real life. The highlight of
the visit is the Macana Tower. At 145 feet tall this structure served as a
watch tower for fires and escaped slaves. Its bell announced the start and end
of the work day. It also demonstrated the wealth of the Macana family. Today,
you can climb to the top of the tower and get a sweeping view of the valley.
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| Casa Manaca |
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| Cane Press |
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| The Amazing Ms. D appreciating some of the art work |
Our bus then took us to the center of Trinidad. The streets
here were similar to those at Macana, with uneven stones and very small
sidewalks. We walked, first, to the Palacio
Cantero. This mansion was built as the home of Justo German Cantero
a doctor who lived in Trinidad during the 19th century. Today the
building serves as the Municipal Museum of Trinidad, and has been restored and
still contains many of the family’s original decorations and furniture. It was
designed in classic Spanish colonial style, with the living quarters built
around a large courtyard. One of the interesting design features is the
kitchen, which is basically a large space that opens fully to the center of
courtyard. It included a large stove and chimney space for cooking over an open
fire. The decoration raised some interesting questions in our group. The
ceiling is bordered with a row of Stars of David, which led us to wonder if the
Cantero family were conversos, Jews
who had been force to convert to Catholicism in order to remain in Spain.
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| Palacio Cantero Courtyard |
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| The Kitchen |
Next, we walked to the Casa de Yemayá, a Santeria temple. Yemayá is the goddess of rivers, and her colors
are blue and white. While we were not allowed into the temple, photography from
the street was okay.
A block away is the Plaza
Mayor, Trinidad’s main square. This well-maintained plaza is divided into
four raised gardens with paths and benches in between. The park is surrounded
by buildings constructed in the 18th century. Most of these were
homes for Trinidad’s wealthiest residents. Today they house museums and
restaurants.
Our last stop was at the studio of Lazaro Niebla. Lazaro is an
artist who turns his own photographs of local campasinos into beautiful wood carvings. We had the opportunity to meet Lazaro, and
hear him describe his process.
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| Lazaro and one of his pieces |
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| Lazaro, his wife, and the Amazing Ms. D |
Our tour ended at Vista Gourmet restaurant. This
establishment sit at the top of a fairly steep hill, but its 2nd
floor space has great views of the city at night. After dinner it was back to
the bus, and the drive back to Cienfuegos. This was a long and physically
demanding trip, but seeing Trinidad was worth it.
I LOVED Trinidad. My favorite stop was visiting Don Lazaro's workshop. He's an amazing wood carver whose love of the working class people in his country is evident in his work. Walking the city of Trinidad is like walking into the world 150 years ago with its flaws as well as its virtues. I loved the place but fair warning: wear really strong, supportive shoes and go slowly. The cobblestones are challenging. Also, if you have any mobility issues at all, stay away from the historical center of the city--all original cobblestones and lots of hills.
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