A video shared on Tuesday on Facebook showcased the severe deterioration and apparent looting of San Isidro de los Destiladeros, one of the sugar-related archaeological sites in the Valley of the Ingenios, in Trinidad, located in the province of Sancti Spíritus.
In just 26 seconds, the images show empty facilities and missing furniture in a location that, just a few months ago, was presented as a restored tourist space equipped with an interactive museum.
"Even the tables, the chairs, everything was completely gone, how tragic, sir," lamented Osmany Jiménez Ruiz, the author of the recording, which had over 117,000 views.
Jiménez described the place as "completely destroyed" and questioned those who, he claimed, are taking advantage of the situation.
The reactions to the video reflected the outrage of Cubans both on the island and abroad. A visitor recalled that months ago the site was "very well" preserved and stated that now it has "gone back 500 years."
The comments posted alongside the video directly blamed the Office of the City Conservator for the condition of the property. Some users questioned why the authorities had not intervened despite the deterioration, while others warned about the future of other heritage sites in Trinidad, including the Manacas tower.
The discussion also led to questioning the official explanation of Cuba's economic difficulties. Several commentators dismissed the idea that the U.S. embargo could be used to explain the deterioration and looting reported in San Isidro de los Destiladeros, which they described as a result of the "internal blockade" that they claim is destroying the country's heritage.
San Isidro de los Destiladeros is part of the Valley of the Sugar Mills, declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 1988. The mill operated for 83 years, from 1806 to 1893, and is located about 14 kilometers from Trinidad.
The site underwent archaeological restoration work starting in 2000. Beginning in 2019, a project for an interactive digital museum was also developed, featuring touch panels, three-dimensional reconstructions, and a mobile application available in five languages, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
In 2024, the official newspaper Escambray described it as an operational interactive museum.
The San Isidro case is not isolated in Sancti Spíritus. In 2022, a historic steam locomotive disappeared in Jatibonico due to state neglect.
Two years later, the provincial cemetery was reported as being in total abandonment; meanwhile, last June, the official press itself described the calamitous state of the Yayabo River, drowning in garbage in front of the Yayabo Bridge, a National Monument, with no response from the authorities.
"A place so important, I never thought San Isidro de los Destiladeros would be like this, with so much effort and resources put into achieving that site. We are doomed," summarized one of the commentators with bitterness.
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