100 Places To Remember: Trinidad, Cuba
Geschreven op 24-4-2010 - Erik van Erne. Geplaatst in Natuur
To Visit Here is to Step Back in History. The historic town of Trinidad in the province of Sancti Spíritus is one of Cubas greatest attractions. Its cobblestone streets are surrounded by pastel-coloured houses with terracotta tiled roofs, the wrought-iron grilles on the windows redolent of the atmosphere of a bygone colonial age.
Founded 500 years ago on 23 December 1514 by the Spanish conquistador Diego Velazquez de Cuellar, Trinidad is renowned for its preserved Spanish colonial architecture and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Plaza Mayor, and the majestic 18th and 19th century houses that surround it, form Trinidads historic centre. The once-rich town belonged to wealthy landowners who prospered from the sugar and slave trades. Today, most of their houses are museums and tourist attractions.
Located in the Caribbean Sea at the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico, Trinidad, together with the rest of Cuba, lies in the path of hurricanes. In September 2008, Hurricane Ike struck Cuba just ten days after another major hurricane had roared through the country, damaging almost 1,000 homes in Trinidad and causing massive landslides and river flooding that cut off roads to and from the city. The two hurricanes caused $7 billion of damage throughout Cuba.
Trinidad has managed to protect and repair many of its historic sites but global warming is expected to lead to more frequent extreme weather events in the Caribbean Basin. The rebuilding and reinforcing of buildings may not be able to keep up with the storms, which are growing fiercer and more regular. These potentially lethal extreme weather events threaten to destroy the colonial heritage of Trinidad as well as the homes of the ordinary citizens.
Time seems to have skipped a few decades in the tranquil town of Trinidad, especially due to the laid-back, nonchalant attitude of its people. Dominoes are played on the sidewalks and at night in the city centre, where cars are not allowed, people dance to Cuban music such as Son Montuno or Salsa.
