Sights in Trinidad
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Museo Histórico Municipal
The showpiece museum here is the grandiose Museo Histórico Municipal, just off Plaza Mayor, housed in a mansion that belonged to the Borrell family from 1827 to 1830. Later the building passed to a German planter named Kanter or Cantero, and it’s still called Casa Cantero. Reputedly Dr Justo Cantero acquired vast sugar estates by poisoning an old slave trader and marrying his widow, who also suffered an untimely death. Cantero’s ill-gotten wealth is well displayed in the stylish neoclassical decoration of the rooms. The view of Trinidad from the top of the tower alone is worth the price of admission. Visit before 11am, when the tour buses start rolling in.
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San Francisco de Asís
Perhaps the most recognizable building in Trinidad is the quaint yellow bell-tower of the former convent of San Francisco de Asís. Since 1986 the building has housed the Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos (tel:4121, open from 09:00 to 18:00 Tuesday to Sunday).
The displays 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. The fuselage of a US U-2 spy plane shot down over Cuba is also on display. Here, too, you can climb the tower for good views. It's on the corner of Piro Guinart.
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Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos
Perhaps the most recognizable building in Trinidad is the withered pastel-yellow bell-tower of the former convent of San Francisco de Asís. Since 1986 the building has housed the Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos. The displays are mostly photos, maps, weapons and other objects relating to the struggle against the various counterrevolutionary bands that took a leaf out of Fidel’s book and operated illicitly out of the Sierra del Escambray between 1960 and 1965. The fuselage of a US U-2 spy plane shot down over Cuba is also on display. You can climb the tower for good views.
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Iglesia Parroquial de la Santísima Trinidad
Despite its rather unremarkable outer facade, the Iglesia Parroquial de la Santísima Trinidad, on the northeastern side of Plaza Mayor, graces countless Trinidad postcard views. Rebuilt in 1892 on the site of an earlier church destroyed in a storm, the church mixes 20th-century touch-ups with older artifacts from as far back as the 18th century, such as the venerated Christ of the True Cross (1713), which occupies the second altar from the front to the left. Your best chance of seeing it is during Mass at 8pm weekdays, 4pm Saturday, and 9am and 5pm Sunday.
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Casa Templo de Santería Yemayá
No Santería museum can replicate the ethereal spiritual experience of Regla de Ocha, though the Casa Templo de Santería Yemayá has a try. Containing a Santería altar to Yemayá, Goddess of the Sea with myriad offerings of fruit, water and stones, the house is presided over by santeros (priests of the Afro-Cuban religion Santería) who’ll emerge from the back patio and surprise you with some well-rehearsed tourist spiel. On the saint’s anniversary, March 19, ceremonies are performed day and night.
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Museo Romántico
The Museo Romántico is in the glittering Palacio Brunet. The ground floor was built in 1740, and the upstairs was added in 1808. In 1974 the mansion was converted into a museum with 19th-century furnishings, a fine collection of china and various other period pieces. Pushy museum staff will materialize out of the shadows for a tip. The shop adjacent has a good selection of photos and books in English.
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Museo de Arquitectura Trinitaria
A public display of wealth is in the Museo de Arquitectura Trinitaria, on the southeastern side of Plaza Mayor, showcasing upper-class domestic architecture of the 18th and 19th centuries. The museum is housed in buildings erected in 1738 and 1785 that were joined together in 1819. It was once the residence of the wealthy Iznaga family.
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Galería de Arte
Admission is completely free at the 19th-century Palacio Ortiz, which today houses the Galería de Arte, on the southwestern side of Plaza Mayor. Worth a look for its quality local art, particularly the embroidery, pottery and jewelry; there’s also a pleasant courtyard.
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Iglesia de Santa Ana
Only the shell remains of the Iglesia de Santa Ana, but just across the square is a former Spanish prison (1844) that has been converted into a tourist center, the Plaza Santa Ana (Calle Camilo Cienfuegos). The complex includes an art gallery, handicraft market, ceramics shop, bar and restaurant.
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Palacio Ortíz
Admission is completely free at the 19th-century Palacio Ortíz, which today houses the Galería de Arte, on the southwestern side of Plaza Mayor. Worth a look for its quality local art, particularly the embroidery, pottery and jewelry, there's also a nice courtyard and spiffy bathroom.
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Casa de Los Mártires de Trinidad
It’s easy to miss the small Casa de los Mártires de Trinidad, dedicated to 72 Trinidad residents who died in the struggle against Fulgencio Batista, the campaign against the counterrevolutionaries, and the little-mentioned war in Angola.
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Museo de Arqueología Guamuhaya
On the northwestern side of Plaza Mayor is the Museo de Arqueología Guamuhaya, an odd mix of stuffed animals, native bones, and vaguely incongruous 19th-century kitchen furniture. Don’t make it your first priority.
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Taller Alfarero
Five blocks south is Taller Alfarero, a large factory where teams of workers make trademark Trinidad ceramics from local clay using a traditional potter’s wheel. You can watch them at work and buy the finished product.
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Fábrica de Tabacos
There's a tiny Fábrica de Tabacos, just right past Hotel Ronda on the corner of Colón; it's too small for full-blown tours but you might be able to take a glance at the deft tobacco rollers making cigars.
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Plaza Santa Ana
A former Spanish prison (1844) that has been converted into a tourist center, the Plaza Santa Ana includes an art gallery, a handicraft market, a ceramics shop, a bar and a restaurant.
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Plaza Mayor
Trinidad's remarkably peaceful main square. It is located in the heart of the casco histórico and is the town's most oft-photographed spot.
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