THE CUBA REVIEW 



11 



Hormiguero INIill 



HORMIGUERO SUGAR ESTATE 



The Spanish word "Hormi^iaero," translated to English, means "Anthill," and it is any- 

 thing hut the definition of one's impressions after a visit to this estate. 



To reach Hormiguero one takes the train on the Culjan Central Railway from Cienf uegos 

 to the station HormJguero, a distance of eighteen miles, where change is m.ade to the plantation 

 railroad, over which a small car drawn by an Ajnerican mule takes you to the sugar m.ill and 

 estate only a short distance aw^ay. On this short trip to the plantation one gets the first im.- 

 pression of the attention given to the care and upkeep of this magnificent estate, situated in one 

 of the most picturesque parts of Santa Clara province. The right of way along this plantation 

 railway is nned with Royal palms, which give the usual stately grace to their surroundings, 

 while palmettos, orange trees and verdant banana plants give the usual pleasing tropical effect. 

 When the mule car reaches its destination at the mill and residence of the owner, all the stories 

 told in Cienfuegos of the beauties of this estate are instantly recalled and confirmed at first 

 glance. The mansion and estate of the owner, Mr. E. L. Ponvert, is one of the m.ost magnifi- 

 cent in Cuba, as shown in some of the accompanying photographs, and it is hard to believe and 

 understand how they ever gave it the name of "Anthill." Mr. Ponvert and family are lovers of 

 nature and the beautiful, and everything about the estate bears evidence of this fact— the 

 beautiful gardens with all varieties of flowers, the aviary with hundreds of different kinds of 

 birds and a small zoo containing monkeys, dogs and cats. The residence-mansion is so situated 

 to the m.ill that the elder Mr. Ponvert can l)e com.fortably seated in the large portico enjoying 

 all the beauties surrounding his home and at the same time observe most every operation in the 

 large sugar mill only a stone's throw across the way. 



This mill is one of the oldest in Cuba. It was first started in 1839 and continued operations 

 up to the war times of the sixties; it resumed operations in 1868 and has been grinding sugar 

 continuously year after year up to the present time, and during all this time the ownership 

 has rem.ainded in the Ponvert family. It is well managed and progressively conducted, and 



