The Cuban archipelago, an ideal place for tourism in the Caribbean, offers a wide tourist environment that extends its options from the beach to those linked to cultural and historic values.
In that direction, the city of Trinidad, located in the central province of Sancti Spiritus and formerly known as Villa de la Santisima Trinidad (Village of the Holy Trinity), stands out.
Its origin dates back to 1514 and it was among the first seven villages founded by the Spaniards in Cuba.
Called the City Museum of Cuba, Trinidad has the privilege of being one of the colonial towns of the country and it also qualifies among the most complete and conserved architectural complexes in the American continent.
Declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1988 and being a route to the conquest of new territories during the Spanish colonial period, Trinidad was founded by the banks of the Guaurabo River, where the Spaniards encountered an aboriginal population that they used as labor, fertile lands and excellent ports for the preparation of expeditions.
Colonial houses that are spacious, comfortable and ventilated, palaces characterized by luxury and waste, which are part of Cuban colonial art, make Trinidad an undisputed urban and architectural jewel of yesteryear.
In Trinidad, there is a legend related to La Maravillosa cave, which is integrated into a set of two dozen grottos, and which tells the story of the Indian woman Caucubu, of the Guamuhaya chieftainship, and her eternal love for Naribo.
A fountain in honor of Caucubu is inside La Maravillosa cave, supported by the tradition that its waters have the virtue of rejuvenating those who drink or wash with it.
The cave's wealth for speleology enthusiasts is in the structures of some 2,000 stalagmites that hang from the ceiling, thus further confirming the name of Maravillosa (Wonderful) of that peculiar site in Trinidad.
A true treasure of the most diverse riches, the town extended its limits in the 16th century, due to the emerging sugar industry, and grew as an urban core between bars of unique shapes, striking buildings and cobbled streets.
In the late 17th century, the main economic activities, based on livestock, tobacco and smuggling, gained ground in the village, which finally turned to the sugar industry in the 18th century, until it became the city with the largest number of masonry and tile properties by inhabitants in Cuba.
Visited by thousands of holidaymakers who travel through that portion of the Cuban archipelago, Trinidad is surrounded by mountainous areas of landscapes of thick vegetation, with valleys that are famous for the remains of sugar mills that are still preserved.
Sierra del Escambray (Escambray Mountain Range) is located in that area, which is home to the most varied plant formations, from ferns and wild orchids to coniferous forests, together with the complement provided by several endemic animal species.