Iznaga Tower: Trinidad's Centuries-Old Sentinel

The Villa de la Santísima Trinidad (Holy Trinity), founded over 400 years ago, is a living example of centuries-old traditions that have survived the passage of time for the enjoyment of both national and foreign vacationers.
Trinidad, one of the first villages founded by the Spanish conquistadors during the colonization of the largest Antillean Island, features one of the most complete and best preserved architectural structures in the American continent.
That historical treasure includes the Valle de los Ingenios, or Sugar Mill Valley, and the Iznaga Tower, a silent witness of the development of the sugar industry in Trinidad.
The construction of the Iznaga Tower in 1816 marks the predominance of eclecticism in Cuban architecture. The 45-meters-tall, seven-floor construction is topped by a lookout from where the region's sugarcane plantations could be watched.
According to experts, the bell on top of the tower was aimed at announcing the beginning and the end of work by the slaves, and the prayers to the Holy Virgin in the morning, midday and afternoon.
It was also used to sound an alarm in cases of fires, slaves' escapes, or just as a unique lookout to enjoy the valley's beauty in its entire magnitude.

The origin of the Iznaga Tower is surrounded by legend involving the two Iznaga brothers, who owned vast areas of land and several sugar factories in the region.
One of the stories says that the tower was constructed as a result of a dispute between the two brothers, who were in love with the same woman, so they decided to build a structure whose size in meters would determine who the winner was

Continue reading... (more)