Vieques: Sugar mill ruins

In March we spent a morning exploring the ruins of the Playa Grande sugar mill with some friends.

Starting in the 1830s, sugar was king in Vieques. There were once 4 sugar mills here, along with thousands of free and slave laborers to work the fields and mills. A century later, only the Playa Grande mill remained. This map hows the area at about that time.

It comes from The Route: The Forgotten Side Of Vieques, by Pragmacio, an interesting book with short first person accounts of his life here from the end of the sugar era into the Navy era. The mill closed early in the 40s when the Navy took over most of the island.

As you can see in the photos, it has been largely reclaimed by the jungle. It’s rather eerie to walk in the ruins of what was once such a busy center of industry. A few have begun to appreciate its historical significance and the Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust is now giving occasional tours.