The most moving ruins in Las Terrazas are about 1.5km up the hill from the Puerta las Delicias eastern gate, and accessible by road. Cafetal Buenavista is Cuba’s oldest (now partially restored) coffee plantation, built in 1801 by French refugees from Haiti. Ruins of the quarters of some of the 126 enslaved people held by the French-Cuban owners here can be seen alongside the driers.
The attic of the master’s house (now a restaurant) was used to store the beans until they could be carried down to the port of Mariel by mule. There are decent views from here, best appreciated on the Sendero las Delicias hike which incorporates the cafetal.
The huge tajona (grindstone) out the back once extracted coffee beans from their shells. The beans were then sun-dried on huge platforms.
