Colonial Cuba

Trinidad is billed as the finest colonial city in the Americas. I would contend that Granada in Nicaragua is equal to Trinidad in both its beauty and it's restoration, but Trinidad is heralded as a UNESCO World heritage site, which is hard to argue with. We traveled here from Cienfuegos, which is also a beautiful Colonial spot.
Tourism officials like to say Trinidad is a museum in itself. Those visiting the 500-year-old city will find Spanish colonial architecture, underscoring a colonial ambiance that marks the tiny city one of the country’s greatest attractions. Only a few square blocks in size, historic Trinidad is famous for its lovely, cobblestone streets, pastel colored houses with elaborate wrought-iron grills, as well as majestic palaces and plazas. The city can be toured in a few hours, by foot or by horse-drawn carriage. The city is located near both the Escambray Mountains and the Caribbean beach.

So a colonialist past is evident in modern day Cuba. The Spanish began to build in earnest in the early 1500's, but by the early 1990's, many of these buildings and neighborhoods were in wretched condition. In the dark days that followed the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Castro authorized the beginnings of a plan to restore buildings of historical interest in Cuba. The plan was to use the cash garnered through the non-Cuban visitors to restore more buildings--so once it got started, the tourists funded the renovations.

One problem with the restorations is that while the families who were living in a building that is slated for restoration are moved to a new dwelling, often one with more amenities than the housing they left, the real benefit of their house in Havana Vieja was its location. It was amidst the underground economy's hub, its center. So moving means losing that resource and that income. Which is entirely illegal, and therefore what can you say to the government about it? Everyone agrees, whether they are fierce loyalists or dissidents, that the regime does not tolerate criticism well. Breaking laws in Cuba carries very high jail sentences, often without rationale. So the Colonial past seems to persist. Despite the revolution. Hasta la Victoria Siempre mutters Ché as he rolls in his adopted country's grave.