Trinidad

Trinidad is arguably the most charming town in Cuba. Situated between the Caribbean coast and the Sierra del Escambray mountains in Sancti Spíritus Province, it is an old colonial town dating all the way back to 1514.  Its wealth came from smuggling, trading with pirates, the slave trade, and, of course, sugar. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 
The bell tower of what was once the Convento de San Francisco de Asís.   The bell tower affords stunning views of the town and the Sierra del Escambray mountains (seen here) on one side and the Caribbean on the other.
     
 
Plaza Mayor in the old town. Does it get more charming than this?   Another view of the Plaza Mayor. The Caribbean is in the distant background. Note the cobbled streets sloped in a V shape with a gutter down the middle. The streets throughout the old town are all like this.
     
 
I love these clay tile roofs.    With the cobbled streets, pastel-colored walls, clay roofs, and the lush, tropical landscape, the textures and colors are wonderful.
     
 
Outskirts of town.   A typical street.
     
 
Houses on the Plaza Mayor.   Detail of a building on the Plaza Mayor.
     
 
Doors like this are all over town.   Typical window of a Trinidad colonial house. The people (and dogs) like to sit on these window ledges and watch the world go by.
     
 
The interior of a colonial house, now being used as an art gallery.   This ruin houses (so to speak) an outdoor bar.
 
 
 
 
  The courtyard of the casa particular that Joe Super and I stayed in while visiting Trinidad. This meal lasted a rather long time.
 
Another view of the courtyard of our casa particular. This is very typical of colonial design.
 
 
 
Detail
 
Trinidad street
Detail from the Plaza Mayor.
 
Another typical street.
     
old guys talking
 
old guys talking 2
Passing the time of day.
 
Still talking.
     
It's her 15th!
 
potter
A quinceañera poses on Plaza Mayor.  She has turned 15, the age when a young lady comes of age.  This birthday party is the fiesta de quince, one of the few traditions to survive socialism.
 
Chichi, owner of El Alfarero Cerámica, where much of the ceramic work sold locally comes from.
     
potter's sign
 
mule rider
El Alfarero Cerámica.
 
Local transportation.
     
cowboys
 
herding cows
Cowboys riding off after a hard day herding cattle.
 
Herding cattle.
     
valley of sugar mills
 
valley of the sugar mills 2
Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills) north of Trinidad.
 
Valle de los Ingenios was the most important sugar-producing area during the colonial era and was the source of the great wealth of Trinidad.

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Maintained by William N. Trumbull . Updated 1/21/04.