Page 199 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Cuba

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Alejo Iznaga, a rival to his This observation point (mirador),
brother Pedro, who was also 192 m (630 ft) above sea level,
a major landowner and sugar offers a magnificent view of the
producer. The tower also whole valley. There is also an
functioned as a lookout outdoor café where you can
for supervising the slaves. sample the drink guarapo,
The top of the tower, which is sugar cane juice.
reached via a steep wooden Also heading in the direction
stairway, today offers lovely, of Sancti Spíritus, south of
wide-ranging views of the the village of Caracusey, is
surrounding countryside. the outstanding, restored
At the foot of the tower is the Guaimaro, built in 1859. Owner
bell that once tolled the work José Mariano Borrel y Lemus
hours on the plantation. commissioned Italian painter
One of the places only Daniele Dell’Aglio, who also
accessible by car is the Mirador designed Teatro Sauto in
de La Loma del Puerto (6 km/ Matanzas, to decorate the
4 miles east of Trinidad, on walls of the hacienda with
the road to Sancti Spíritus). European scenes.

Sugar Production in Cuba
For centuries, sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum), which was
introduced to the island in 1512 by Spanish settlers, has been the
The Iznaga estate tower, with a mainstay of the Cuban economy. Sugar extraction takes place in
commanding view of the valley various phases: after being washed, the cane stalks are pressed by
special mills and the juice (guarapo) is extracted from the fibrous
a blanket of green, interrupted mass (bagassa), which is used as fuel and as livestock fodder. The juice
only by towering royal palms. is treated chemically, filtered and then evaporated so as to obtain a
The valley is rich in history concentration of dark syrup that is then heated. This produces crystals
with ruins providing evidence of sucrose. The syrupy mass then goes into a centrifuge. Other by-
of the time when the sugar products are obtained from sugar cane, including molasses, a residue
industry was at its peak. These of the syrup, which still contains 50 per cent sugar and is used as the
buildings also help visitors to basic ingredient in the production of rum (see p79).
understand the social structure
that was the order of the sugar
plantations. The whole zone,
which has a surface area of Ripe cane is 2–5 m (6–16 ft) tall
419 sq km (162 sq miles), with a diameter of 2–6 cm (1–3 in).
includes the ruins of 56 ingenios. Once cut, the plant shoots again
UNESCO has declared the valley and becomes ripe again in a year.
a World Heritage Site. Newly planted cane, grown from
A good way to visit the area cuttings 30–40 cm (12–16 in) long,
is to take the train that, when ripens in 11–18 months.
working, departs from Trinidad
and covers the entire valley.
It stops at the impressive The zafra (harvest) takes place
Manaca Iznaga Estate, where between December and June.
about 350 slaves lived in Before harvest begins, the cane
the 1840s. The landowner’s field is burned to remove the
house survives and has been outer leaves, which obstruct
converted into a bar and harvesting. In the plains cutting
restaurant. Also still standing is done with machines, while in
are the barracones (slaves’ huts), the hills the machete is still used.
and a monumental seven-
level tower 45 m (147 ft) high. Transport has to be rapid
Each level is different from the to mini mize the deterioration
next in shape and decoration: of the sucrose in the heat.
the first three are square, To this end, in the late 1800s
the top four are octagonal. a special railway net work was
The symbolic meaning of this built and steam trains travelled
tower is apparent. It was built between the cane fields and
in 1830 as an assertion of the sugar works.
authority over the valley by

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