Trinidad

—Trinidadian /trin'i day"dee euhn, -dad"ee-/, adj., n.

/trin"i dad'/; for 2 also Sp. /trddee'nee dhahdh"/, n.

1. an island in the SE West Indies, off the NE coast of Venezuela: formerly a British colony in the Federation of the West Indies; now part of the republic of Trinidad and Tobago. 945,210; 1864 sq. mi. (4828 sq. km).

2. a city in central Bolivia. 72,000.

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▪ Bolivia

      city, northeastern Bolivia. It lies in the Moxos (Mojos) Plains, an ancient lake bed stretching eastward from the foothills of the Andean eastern cordillera. In 1686 Jesuits (Jesuit) led by Father Cipriano Barrace founded a mission at the present site of the city, naming it Trinidad (“Trinity”) for the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. During the annual celebration of the feast, residents wear elaborate feather headdresses and masks and partake in traditional dancing, accompanied by live music.

      Trinidad has become a busy commercial centre for sugarcane, rice, and beef (from the surrounding cattle farms) production and has a growing tourism industry due to its proximity to rainforests and the Mamoré River. It is the seat of the Mariscal Jose Ballivián Bolivian University (1967). Roads connect Trinidad to Santa Cruz, La Paz, and Puerto Ballivián (5 miles [8 km] west-northwest on the Mamoré River). The city is surrounded by a road that also serves as a dike. Trinidad suffered severe flooding in 2007. The city has an airport. Pop. (2001) 75,540.

▪ Colorado, United States

      city, seat (1866) of Las Animas county, south-central Colorado, U.S., situated on the Purgatoire River in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at an elevation of 6,025 feet (1,836 metres), south of Pueblo. Near the foot of Raton Pass (12 miles [19 km] south on the Colorado-New Mexico border), the site was a camping ground for traders, hunters, and cattlemen traversing the Santa Fe Trail. In 1870 the Santa Fe Railway built a line through the pass, and the settlement (named for Trinidad Baca, daughter of an early settler) developed as a coal-mining and shipping centre. Coal production, which decreased steadily after 1900, has been supplemented by cattle industries (dairying, meat-packing), wood processing, and the manufacture of bricks, structural clay products, and plastics. Trinidad State Junior College was opened in 1925. Baca House (an adobe, built in 1869), Bloom House (1882), and the Santa Fe Trail Museum are points of interest; the downtown area (locally called the Corazon de Trinidad [Heart of Trinidad]) is a National Historic Landmark District. Trinidad Lake State Park is nearby. The remains of the Ludlow camp, where Colorado state militiamen killed 17 striking miners on April 20, 1914, are located 15 miles (24 km) to the north of Trinidad. Inc. town, 1876; city, 1879. Pop. (1990) 8,580; (2000) 9,078.

▪ Cuba

      city, central Cuba. It lies on the southern slopes of the Sierra de Trinidad, north of its Caribbean port of Casilda. Founded in 1514 by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar (Velázquez de Cuéllar, Diego), it prospered during the colonial era and for some time was Cuba's wealthiest city. To preserve the colonial atmosphere and to honour former residents—among whom were the Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés (Cortés, Hernán, marqués del Valle de Oaxaca) and the German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt (Humboldt, Alexander von)—Trinidad was declared a national monument, and in 1988 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site with the nearby Valley de los Ingenios.

      The city has numerous and varied industries, including sugar refineries, dairies, sawmills, and cigar and cigarette factories. Highways lead from Trinidad to Cienfuegos city, 50 miles (80 km) to the northwest, and to Sancti Spíritus city, 50 miles (80 km) to the east-northeast. A railroad crosses the island from Trinidad to Caibarién on the northern coast, and Trinidad has an airport. Pop. (2002) 41,293.

▪ Uruguay

also called  Porongos 

      city, south-central Uruguay. It lies in the Porongos Hills, a northern outlier of the Grande Inferior Range. The city is the area's principal trade and manufacturing centre. Wheat, corn (maize), linseed, oats, and fruit grown in the hinterland are processed in Trinidad. Dairying, viticulture, and cattle and sheep ranching are the main economic activities in the surrounding area. Situated on the Montevideo-Paysandú highway, Trinidad is also served by a railroad from Durazno and has an airport. Pop. (2004) 20,982.

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