The best museums Trinidad

Housed in an old colonial house, built between 1827 and 1830, the museum features magnificent neoclassical murals by Cuban and Italian artists. It traces the history of Trinidad since its foundation: Indian archeological finds, the slave trade, the development of the sugar industry, the struggle for independence undertaken by the Trinitarios and other significant episodes in the city's culture, society and economy.

Located in the former convent of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, the museum recounts the fighting in the 1960s between the national revolutionary militia and the enemies of the revolution, who operated in the mountainous areas of the Escambray (the main theater of counter-revolutionary resistance). Photos and testimonies maintain the myth of the barbudos. On display are a marine launch and part of the U2 (U.S. spy plane) shot down by the Cuban army in 1962.

Built in 1808, the former palace of Nicolás de la Cruz y Brunet, owner of cane plantations ennobled by the king of Spain, is one of the beautiful testimonies of the colonial architecture of the island. It has been beautifully restored. One of the floors has been transformed into a museum, with collections of jewelry, furniture, porcelain and silverware that belonged to the Spanish nobility. You will also see the paintings of Esteban Chartrand, a French-Cuban painter of the 19th century.

Except for the main rooms dedicated to exhibitions, this palace has not changed much since the last heirs of the Sánchez-Iznaga family left in 1982. During the visit, you will get acquainted with samples of the architectural development of Trinidad. You will also see the Italian porcelain toilet in the interior patio and the American shower of 1912, heated with gas. The urns in the patio (19th century) are from Malaga.

The museum traces the archaeological history of Cuba, from the pre-Columbian period to the Spanish conquest and colonization. Its former owners, Don Juan Andrés Padrón and his family, hosted the famous Alexander von Humboldt in 1801 during his visit to Trinidad. Hernán Cortés is also said to have stayed here before leaving for Mexico in the 16th century. Guamuhaya is the word used by the aborigines to designate the mountain range surrounding Trinidad.