Manaca Iznaga Tower is part of an estate once owned by Pedro Iznaga, once a wealthy baron of Cuba’s important sugar industry. Climb the tower for excellent views of the lush countryside. Iznaga, a major actor in Cuban slave trafficking, used the vistas from the tower for business purposes for his sugar interests.
Learn about the fascinating history of the region’s sugar industry, a very important part of Cuba’s national economic development during the late 1700s through late 1800s. Much of the labor to power this non-mechanized industry was provided by slaves brought to Cuba from Africa and their Cuban-born descendants. Because the slaves were forced to work on the plantation against their will and the plantation owner feared disruptive behavior, the tower provided plantation guards a means of monitoring slave activities in every direction across the estate.
Slavery was abolished in Cuba in 1886 and the sugar industry declined over the 19th and early 20th centuries. Visit the Iznaga estate and other parts of the Valle de los Ingenios to see remains of the 50 mills that operated during the industry’s peak.
Walk along the pathway to Manaca Iznaga Tower and stop at stalls set up by local artisans selling their wares. The base of the four-sided tower is wide enough to allow wagons to pass through its arched entry. Metal stairways continue up six levels with observation platforms at each level. Pay the fee to climb to the narrow top of the 144-foot-tall (44-meter) tower and gaze out across the estate to see palm trees, small remaining patches of sugar cane and soaring birds of prey.
Visit other parts of the estate near the tower. Have lunch in Iznaga’s mansion, view the bell used to summon slaves from the fields and examine the large sugar press.
Drive or ride a bicycle to Manaca Iznaga Tower and the estate, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of Trinidad. Alternatively, enjoy the unique experience of traveling here on a wooden train through pastoral countryside. The tower is open daily. Trains leave from mid-morning out of Trinidad.
