Iznaga Tower, Bell tower in Valle de los Ingenios, Cuba

The Iznaga Tower is a square masonry bell tower of seven diminishing tiers, about 45 metres tall, built beside the Manaca-Iznaga estate house in the Valle de los Ingenios. A narrow internal stair leads to a top gallery, from which the cane fields and the valley floor are visible in every direction.

The tower was raised in 1816 for the Iznaga family, whose sugar estate, the Ingenio Iznaga, gave the Valle de los Ingenios its name. Its bell rang out over the cane fields to mark the start and end of the working day for the enslaved Africans labouring on the plantation. After abolition the estate declined, and the tower remained as the valley's tallest landmark.

The tower's name comes from the Iznaga family, who owned the Manaca-Iznaga sugar estate in the Valle de los Ingenios. The bell once rang to mark the start and end of the workday for the enslaved Africans labouring in the cane fields and mill. Visitors today see the tower standing alone among the fields, a reminder of that plantation economy.

The tower sits in the valley southeast of Trinidad and is reachable by car or heritage train. Wear comfortable shoes for the climb up the narrow interior stairs, and be prepared for wind at the top.

The original bell that once hung at the summit now rests at the base of the structure as a silent witness to the past. At its time, this tower was the highest structure across the entire Caribbean sugar region.