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The city of Trinidad is in the cental region of Cuba, in the south
of the Cuban province of Sancti Spíritus, and is the capital of the
municipal district of the same name.
The Villa de la Santísima Trinidad was the third town to be
founded by the Spanish crown in Cuba; it was established in
1514 by Adelantado Diego Velázquez. The town grew swiftly,
thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of its inhabitants, making it
one of the most prosperous cities in Cuba by the 19th century.
The conservation and restoration work carried out by specialists
in this part of central southern Cuba, and the civic pride of its
inhabitants, have made it one of the best-preserved colonial
cities not only in Cuba, but also in the whole of the Americas,
and in 1988 it was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO,
together with Valle de los Ingenios (factories), an area where the
sugar industry prospered until the middle of the 19th century.
This sugar production made the factory-owners rich, and they
built palatial residences in both Trinidad and El Valle, which
are now prized examples of Cuban culture. The anniversary of
the city’s foundation is celebrated every year by the Trinidad
Cultural Week; in January 2009 the festival marked the city’s
495th anniversary. |
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