Historical & Cultural Landmarks in the Caribbean

The Antigua Naval Dockyard (also known as Nelson's Dockyard) and its related facilities were built at English Harbour, at a time when European nations were battling for supremacy of the seas, to obtain control over the lucrative sugar producing islands of the Eastern Caribbean.

The First Coffee Plantations in the Southeast of Cuba is a cultural landscape illustrating colonial coffee production. A pioneer form of agriculture, they throw considerable light on the economic, social and technological history of the Caribbean and Latin American region.

The people of the Netherlands established a trading settlement at a natural harbor on the island of Curaçao in 1634. The architecture of Willemstad has been influenced not only by Dutch colonial concepts but also by the tropical climate and architectural styles from towns throughout the Caribbean region.

The Spanish system of fortifications in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is the oldest European construction in the United States and one of the oldest in the New World. These fortifications guarded the entrance to San Juan Bay and protected Spanish commerce in the Caribbean basin.

These Haitian monuments date from the beginning of the 19th century, when Haiti proclaimed its independence. The Palace of Sans Souci, the buildings at Ramiers and the Citadel serve as universal symbols of liberty, being the first monuments to be constructed by black slaves who had gained their freedom.