Trinidad |
The almost unaltered conservation of a greatly valued architectural complex among the cities founded by Spanish colonizers in America was considered for the recognition of the historic centre of Trinidad. The date of its founding is commemorated every year with a Semana de la Cultura Trinitaria (Cultural Week of Trinidad) the month of January.
Built on the large fortunes accumulated in the sugar industry in the adjacent Valle de los Ingenios during the nineteenth century, the pre-Revolutionary War wealth is still very evident in Trinidad, one of the best preserved cities not only in Cuba but also in the Americas; illustrious colonial style mansions adorned with Italian frescoes, French chandeliers, red tiled roofs, cobblestone streets, large wrought iron windows, pastel-colored houses and its authentic 16th-century character.
Especially around Plaza Mayor, with its banks of white cast iron and towering royal palms, the antique atmosphere is palpable. Here the rich sugar barons and slavers built their luxury hideaways. One of those now houses the Museo Romántico. This museum gives a good impression of how a wealthy Cuban family lived in the late nineteenth century. Spacious rooms, cupboards full of china, the best woodwork. And there are more museums: Trinidad is the Cuban municipality with the greatest amount of museums per inhabitant.
Despite its status as a World Heritage Site by Unesco, tourism has not taken away the unique atmosphere of Trinidad. The town retains a quiet, almost soporific air with its cobbled streets full of mansions, with leather-faced guajiros and donkeys. In fact, you'll notice that the Cubans rich and famous were better off two hundred years ago than the average Cuban nowadays. Behind the patched Plaza Mayor you can see the true Trinidad. Women queuing in the state store with their ration book in hand. Kids playing football with a worn ball in the dusty streets. Old men strumming melancholically their old guitar. Rudimentary furnished houses with peeling paint and sun faded facades.
Decline, yet, uniquely beautiful!. Come with www.househostelcuba.com to visit this lovely place!.
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