The Valley of the Sugar Mills stretches east of Trinidad for about 15 kilometres, a broad agricultural valley where dozens of sugar plantations operated from the late 18th century through the 19th. The valley made Trinidad one of the wealthiest towns in the Caribbean for roughly fifty years, and then — as sugar prices fell and slavery ended — sent it into a long decline that preserved its colonial architecture by accident.
The ruins of the mill buildings are scattered across the valley, some maintained, most left to the tropical vegetation. The most visited site is the Manaca Iznaga estate, 14 km east of Trinidad, where the main plantation buildings remain and the 45-metre tower still stands. From the highway, you can see the silhouette of the tower from a distance. A steam train runs from Trinidad on tourist excursions — a pleasant way to see the valley slowly, though it is also accessible by taxi or bicycle.