CubaPLUS Magazine

Once again, history and nature go hand in hand to tell us about a fascinating world, that of Cuban coffee plantations, and offer us the full enjoyment of a wild environment full of greenery and beauty. This is the tourist center that is the restaurant and viewpoint installed in what were the ruins of the Buenavista coffee plantation, located 1.5 kilometers from the Puerta de las Delicias, in community areas and cultural ecological project named Las Terrazas, flourishing in the Sierra del Rosario, province of Artemisa.

It cannot be denied that painstaking restoration work has bestowed luster to facilities considered the oldest coffee plantation in Cuba, although foundations and some very old spaces have survived until today since his time. Dating back to 1801, it was part of a group of similar farms founded by French emigrants, coming from Neighboring Haiti, which between the years 1790 and the beginning of the 19th century fled from Revolution of the small nation and sought refuge in the Cuban archipelago.

From that first coffee plantation, rightly called Buenavista, for its privileged geographical location, still surprise the visitor with its notable tajona, a kind of stone mill that was used to extract the coffee bean from the husks.

The ancient impact barracks or rooms where they were confined, in conditions unhealthy and, to the endowments of slaves to enjoy their ephemeral rest. Those unfortunates, forced by the whip and other cruel methods to working tirelessly turned most of these coffee plantations into very productive centers and beautiful gardens, of great wealth, under the direction of seasoned French technologists and experienced farmers.

There is no doubt that the Buenavista was a very lucrative enterprise, although later the large-scale coffee business moved from the west to the eastern mountains of the island, as the century progressed. In a dream journey from the past to the present, today you can visit Buenavista to enjoy the delicious dishes of the regional gastronomy that it offers as a country restaurant, which knows how to boast its lineage and legend.

The views and landscape around you are spectacular, and everything makes the experience very pleasant for hikers, getting to know nature and archaeology, popular culture and the hospitality of the inhabitants of the Cuban countryside. It should be noted that its link with the beautiful town of Las Terraces widen the possibilities of enjoyment. The mountain landscape, covered with forests of different species of timber trees and fruit trees, its beautiful homes and cultural and recreational facilities, speak of a socio-economic environment in full harmony between humans and nature.

Of course, such a result is not accidental, but the result of conscience, education and the execution of multiple programs in a place where In the past, a long time ago, man mistreated natural life. The inhabitants of that area are proud to show travelers the results of your change and your new life.