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Cuba Trinidad Photo Gallery

Trinidad was one of Cuba’s most important centres for the slave trade and sugarcane industry in the early 1800s. Plaza Mayor is the hub of the old town with beautiful brightly painted colonial mansions, including the Palacio Brunet (Museo Romantico), and former convent of San Francisco de Asís (Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos), with a yellow and green bell-tower. Nearby is the Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills) with lime-green cane fields set against a bank of dark green mountains, and the wooded Sierra del Escambray Mountains.

10 Cuba - Cienfuegos To Trinidad Taxi Heading east from Cienfuegos toward Trinidad, postcard views of the Escambray Mountains loom ever closer. At Villa Guajimico the road tracks southeast undulating scenically between the mountains and sea for 30km. The river marks the boundary between the Cienfuegos and Sancti Spiritus provinces. The taxi ride took 90 minutes and cost $55CUC in 2008.

10 Cuba - Cienfuegos To Trinidad Taxi

11 Cuba - Trinidad - Hotel Las Cuevas We stayed at the Hotel Las Cuevas located up a steep hill above Trinidad. Built in the 1950s, the hotel is surprisingly large, featuring rows of concrete bungalow-style rooms and a round swimming pool. There is a good view of Trinidad from the hotel.

11 Cuba - Trinidad - Hotel Las Cuevas

12 Cuba - Trinidad - Hotel Las Cuevas - View of Trinidad In 1514, Trinidad became the third settlement to be founded in Cuba by Diego Valazquez, as a base for exploiting the surrounding mountains for gold. But its heyday came in the first half of the 19C, when it was one of Cuba’s most important centres for the slave trade and sugarcane industry. On the left with the yellow bell tower is the Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos in the Old Town; in the centre is the abandoned Ermita de Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria de la Popa church; and on the right are the wooded Sierra del Escambray Mountains.

12 Cuba - Trinidad - Hotel Las Cuevas - View of Trinidad

13 Cuba - Trinidad - Ermita de Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria de la Popa church Ermita de Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria de la Popa in Trinidad, a 10-minute steep climb northeast from the centre of Trinidad, was Trinidad’s oldest church built in 1715, but now is in ruins.

13 Cuba - Trinidad - Ermita de Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria de la Popa church

14 Cuba - Trinidad - Iglesia de Santa Ana church Only the shell remains of the Iglesia de Santa Ana built in 1812, to the east of the centre of Trinidad.

14 Cuba - Trinidad - Iglesia de Santa Ana church

21 Cuba - Trinidad - Plaza Mayor - Museo de Arquitectura Trinitaria, Casa de Aldeman Ortiz, Museo de Arqueologia Guamuhaya Plaza Mayor is the hub of the old town of Trinidad de Cuba. The gorgeous ensemble of brightly painted colonial mansions enclose railings, urns and greyhound statues. White picket fences divide the central garden from the cobbles. In this view from Palacio Brunet, the blue building on the left is the Museo de Arquitectura Trinitaria housed in buildings erected in 1738 and 1785 that were joined together in 1819, the yellow building in the centre is the Casa de Aldeman Ortiz, and the building with white colonnades on the right is the Museo de Arqueologia Guamuhaya in a modest 18C house.

21 Cuba - Trinidad - Plaza Mayor - Museo de Arquitectura Trinitaria, Casa de Aldeman Ortiz, Museo de Arqueologia Guamuhaya

22 Cuba - Trinidad - Plaza Mayor - Palacio Brunet, Museo Romantico - Iglesia Parroquial de la Santisima, Church of the Holy Trinity Plaza Mayor is the hub of the old town of Trinidad de Cuba. In this view from the south, the green building on the left is the Palacio Brunet, now the Museo Romantico, and the building on the right is the The Iglesia Parroquial de la Santísima (Church of the Holy Trinity).

22 Cuba - Trinidad - Plaza Mayor - Palacio Brunet, Museo Romantico - Iglesia Parroquial de la Santisima, Church of the Holy Trinity

23 Cuba - Trinidad - Plaza Mayor - Iglesia Parroquial de la Santisima, Church of the Holy Trinity The Iglesia Parroquial de la Santísima (Church of the Holy Trinity) Trinidad on the northeastern side of Plaza Mayor, was rebuilt in 1892 on the site of an earlier church. The yellow building directly to the left of the church is the Palacio Brunet, now the Museo Romantico; and on the far left with the yellow and green bell-tower is the former convent of San Francisco de Asís, now the Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos.

23 Cuba - Trinidad - Plaza Mayor - Iglesia Parroquial de la Santisima, Church of the Holy Trinity

24 Cuba - Trinidad - Plaza Mayor - Iglesia Parroquial de la Santisima, Church of the Holy Trinity - Main Altar The altar in the Iglesia Parroquial de la Santísima (Church of the Holy Trinity) Trinidad was made with the finest woods instead of the traditional marble.

24 Cuba - Trinidad - Plaza Mayor - Iglesia Parroquial de la Santisima, Church of the Holy Trinity - Main Altar

31 Cuba - Trinidad - Plaza Mayor - Palacio Brunet, Museo Romantico The Palacio Brunet, now the Museo Romantico, is a two-storey mansion in warm yellow stucco on Plaza Mayor in Trinidad de Cuba. The ground floor of the Palacio Brunet was built in 1740, and the upstairs was built in 1808. It was once owned by a sugar baron, but was converted into a museum in 1974. On the left with the yellow and green bell-tower is the former convent of San Francisco de Asís, now the Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos.

31 Cuba - Trinidad - Plaza Mayor - Palacio Brunet, Museo Romantico

32 Cuba - Trinidad - Plaza Mayor - Palacio Brunet, Museo Romantico - Living Room - marble floor, wooden furniture, chandelier, Sevres vases, paintings The spacious living room of the Museo Romantico (Palacio Brunet) in Trinidad de Cuba has a Carrara marble floor, a coffered ceiling, furniture made of precious wood, a chandelier, Sevres vases and Bohemian crystal ware.

32 Cuba - Trinidad - Plaza Mayor - Palacio Brunet, Museo Romantico - Living Room - marble floor, wooden furniture, chandelier, Sevres vases, paintings

33 Cuba - Trinidad - Plaza Mayor - Palacio Brunet, Museo Romantico - Living Room - Wooden Door, painted Sevres vase, elegant fresco, painting of Paris The living room of the Museo Romantico (Palacio Brunet) in Trinidad de Cuba has an old wooden beautiful door with four swirling circles, a painted Sevres vase, an elegant fresco, and a painting of Paris Champs Elysées with the Arc de Triomphe.

33 Cuba - Trinidad - Plaza Mayor - Palacio Brunet, Museo Romantico - Living Room - Wooden Door, painted Sevres vase, elegant fresco, painting of Paris

34 Cuba - Trinidad - Plaza Mayor - Palacio Brunet, Museo Romantico - coat of arms, room with porcelain figures, antique Venetian bureau, marble bathtub Other things of interest in the Museo Romantico (Palacio Brunet) in Trinidad de Cuba include a coat of arms on the stairway, a room with porcelain figures, an antique Venetian bureau, and a one ton marble bathtub.

34 Cuba - Trinidad - Plaza Mayor - Palacio Brunet, Museo Romantico - coat of arms, room with porcelain figures, antique Venetian bureau, marble bathtub

35 Cuba - Trinidad - Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos Perhaps the most recognizable building in Trinidad is the quaint yellow and green bell-tower of the former convent of San Francisco de Asís, built in 1730 by Franciscan monks. Since 1986 the building has housed the Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos. This photo was taken from the upper floor of the Museo Romantico (Palacio Brunet).

35 Cuba - Trinidad - Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos

36 Cuba - Trinidad - Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos - Che Guevara hammock, Camilo Cienfuegos shirt, bandidos boat The displays in the Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos in Trinidad de Cuba are mostly photos, maps, weapons and other objects relating to the struggle against the various counterrevolutionary bands that operated in Sierra del Escambray between 1960 and 1965. Exhibits include a CIA radio transmitter, Che Guevara’s hammock, Camilo Cienfuegos’ shirt, and in the courtyard a boat used by the banditos.

36 Cuba - Trinidad - Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos - Che Guevara hammock, Camilo Cienfuegos shirt, bandidos boat

37 Cuba - Trinidad - Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos - Views Of Trinidad from the bell tower The views from the bell tower in the Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos in Trinidad de Cuba are excellent.

37 Cuba - Trinidad - Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos - Views Of Trinidad from the bell tower

38 Cuba - Trinidad - Palacio Cantero, Museo Historico Municipal The Palacio Cantero, built in 1827, and now housing the Museo Historico Municipal, is just a block south of the Plaza Mayor on Simon Bolivar in Trinidad de Cuba. It has superb murals of classical scenes, scrolls, curtains, and pediments that have been painted over doorways and windows.

38 Cuba - Trinidad - Palacio Cantero, Museo Historico Municipal

41 Cuba - Trinidad - Colouful Houses The Old Town of Trinidad de Cuba has many single-story, primary-coloured houses topped by curvaceous clay-tiled roofs and enclosing palm and bougainvillea courtyards lining the streets cobbled with stones.

41 Cuba - Trinidad - Colouful Houses

42 Cuba - Trinidad - Colourful Houses and Old American Car The Old Town of Trinidad de Cuba has many single-story, primary-coloured houses topped by curvaceous clay-tiled roofs and enclosing palm and bougainvillea courtyards lining the streets cobbled with stones.

42 Cuba - Trinidad - Colourful Houses and Old American Car

43 Cuba - Trinidad - Colourful Houses The Old Town of Trinidad de Cuba has many single-story, primary-coloured houses topped by curvaceous clay-tiled roofs and enclosing palm and bougainvillea courtyards lining the streets cobbled with stones.

43 Cuba - Trinidad - Colourful Houses

44 Cuba - Trinidad - Iberostar Hotel, Parque Cespedes, San Francisco de Paula church Parque Cespedes is the new town’s main square, south of the Trinidad old town. On the left is the 5-star Iberostar hotel. To the right is the air-conditioned Etecsa office, where we checked our emails. And in the centre is a dome-shaped leafy canopy that provides plenty of shade. Set back from the southwestern edge of the Parque Cespedes is a modest tiled-roof San Francisco de Paula church, built in the early 19th century.

44 Cuba - Trinidad - Iberostar Hotel, Parque Cespedes, San Francisco de Paula church

51 Cuba - Trinidad - Valle de los Ingenios - View of Valley From Mirador de la Loma del Puerto The road east from Trinidad to Sancti Spiritus passes through Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills), once the source of Trindad’s prosperity. In the early 1800s there were more than 50 small sugar mills worked by over 11,000 slaves. The Mirador de la Loma del Puerto, about 5km east of Trinidad, offers a magnificent overview of the Valle de los Ingenios valley’s lime-green cane fields set against a bank of dark green mountains.

51 Cuba - Trinidad - Valle de los Ingenios - View of Valley From Mirador de la Loma del Puerto

52 Cuba - Trinidad - Valle de los Ingenios - Manaca Iznaga - Tower The rocket-like Manaca Iznaga 45m tower in the Valle de los Ingenios valley allowed the sugar barons to watch the slaves working in the fields below. The first three levels are square and the top four are octagonal.

52 Cuba - Trinidad - Valle de los Ingenios - Manaca Iznaga - Tower

53 Cuba - Trinidad - Valle de los Ingenios - View of Valley From Manaca Iznaga Tower There is a broad view of the Valle de los Ingenios valley from the top of the rocket-like Manaca Iznaga 45m tower.

53 Cuba - Trinidad - Valle de los Ingenios - View of Valley From Manaca Iznaga Tower

54 Cuba - Trinidad - Valle de los Ingenios - Manaca Iznaga - Hacienda From Tower Manaca Iznaga in the Valle de los Ingenios 15km from Trinidad, is a beautifully restored hacienda founded in 1750. It has its windows and doors placed to make the most of the merest breeze and it doubles as an information centre and restaurant.

54 Cuba - Trinidad - Valle de los Ingenios - Manaca Iznaga - Hacienda From Tower

55 Cuba - Trinidad - Valle de los Ingenios - Manaca Iznaga Hacienda - Slave Statue, Paintings The beautifully restored Manaca Iznaga hacienda in the Valle de los Ingenios 15km from Trinidad has a superb exhibition of paintings depicting the brutalities of plantation life in the days of slavery, and a startling sculpture showing two slaves with balls and chains. Estate owner Pedro Iznaga became the richest man in Cuba using the sweat of thousands of African slaves.

55 Cuba - Trinidad - Valle de los Ingenios - Manaca Iznaga Hacienda - Slave Statue, Paintings

61 Cuba - Trinidad - Sierra del Escambray - View Of Trinidad It took three hours to drive the 140km long, little-used road from Trinidad to Santa Clara crossing the wooded Sierra del Escambray Mountains. The drives climbs up a steep 15km road through pine and eucalyptus woods towards Topes de Collantes, with a view back towards Trinidad.

61 Cuba - Trinidad - Sierra del Escambray - View Of Trinidad

62 Cuba - Trinidad - Sierra del Escambray - View Towards Topes de Collantes The road from Trinidad de Cuba continues climbing through the Sierra del Escambray towards the Topas de Collantes., where there is a lovely 2.5km walk to a waterfall called El Salto del Caburni.

62 Cuba - Trinidad - Sierra del Escambray - View Towards Topes de Collantes

63 Cuba - Trinidad - Sierra del Escambray - Waterfalls The road through the Sierra del Escambray gets fairly rough after Topas de Collantes, but takes in panoramic views of the Escambray’s peaks and passes waterfalls.

63 Cuba - Trinidad - Sierra del Escambray - Waterfalls

64 Cuba - Trinidad - Sierra del Escambray - Embalse Hanabanilla reservoir About halfway between Trinidad and Santa Clara on the road through Sierra del Escambray is a view of Embalse Hanabanilla, a picturesque reservoir enclosed by a ridge of palm-dotted hills.

64 Cuba - Trinidad - Sierra del Escambray - Embalse Hanabanilla reservoir


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