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The marks left by European colonizers’ incursions in the Caribbean, in some cases barely visible after the  overpowering passage of time and historic developments –as in the case of Old Panama- or well-preserved in each and every detail, as it happened in Cuba’s Trinidad –the result of geographic isolation following a timespan of glorious prosperity- have whipped an environment full of extraordinary contrasts into shape, one that stands today for the region’s most sought-after attraction among foreign visitors. Next to dregs of high heritage value –some closer and other father- the new generations have continued to showcase their own works and monuments, with industrial-age techniques and materials, or even relying on nature-challenging, cutting-edge technology.

On the edge of the shoreline, in other times unsuitable for building homes, majestic residential buildings and hotels stand tall, those that let you make out the skyline from unfathomable heights through glass windowpanes as hard as steel.

Cities run through by subways, high-speed highways, power grids, outfitted with sophisticated telecommunication networks, airports, financial centers, shopping malls and conference centers, rub elbows with their colonial predecessors, even with the traces of those civilizations that throve before the arrival of the Europeans.

To that marvelous world of Caribbean contrasts, in which fortunately nature’s original foliage remains untapped, the beaches’ crystal-clear waters have been unspoiled for centuries –or at least a considerable chunk of them- the current issue of the Excelencias magazine is dedicated. We can see –as some feature reports herein bear out- that both residents and authorities from the region are determined to turn it into the ideal travel destination of balmy weather all year round, a leading haven for sustainable tourism.