is a town in the province of Sancti Spíritus, central Cuba. Together with the nearby Valle de los Ingenios, it has been one of UNESCOs World Heritage sites since 1988.

The Plaza Mayor in Trinidad is the historic centre of the town, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988. The buildings surrounding the central square date from the 18th and 19th centuries when trade in sugar from the nearby Valle de los Ingenios and slaves, brought great riches to the area.

Many of the buildings surrounding the central square belonged to the wealthy landowners of the city.

When the trade in sugar diminished and the slave trade ended in the mid-19th century, Trinidad became a backwater and because little building work was carried until the 1950s many of the historic buildings and streets were preserved, especially the grand constructions in the immediate vicinity of the Plaza Mayor.


Valley de los Ingenios, Valle de los Ingenios or Valley of the Sugar Mills is a series of three interconnected valleys about 12 kilometres (7 miles) outside of Trinidad, Cuba. The three valleys, San Luis, Santa Rosa and Meyer were a centre for sugar production from the late 18th century until the late 19th century.

Most of the sugar mills are now in ruins but some sites have buildings which remain intact including Guachinango where the plantation house remains and the estate at Manaca Ignaza at which the owner's house, a tower and some barracones, the original slave quarters, are still standing.

Although the barracones are now used as housing and are in poor state of repair, the house (which has been converted into a restaurant) and the tower are well maintained.

The 45 metre (147 ft) tower was constructed sometime between 1830 and 1835 by the estate owner, Alejo Iznaga. Ostensibly constructed as a watch tower to allow the guards a 360 degree view of the sugar cane fields in which the slaves were working, it also served a symbol of Iznaga's power both over his slaves and within the sugar producing industry (at one time the tower was the tallest structure in Cuba). A large bell which was formerly housed in the tower and used to toll the end of the slaves' working day is now at the foot of the tower.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/