A trip to Hacienda Buena Vista is a rare experience in more ways than one. Located in the mountains between Ponce and Adjuntas, this is one of only five working coffee plantations in the world that functions to this day using water power.
Moreover, in addition to the natural beauty and quaint structures, the marvel of engineering on display at Hacienda Vista recalls a simpler time when water power transformed this plantation into one of the most prosperous in Puerto Rico.
General Information
Hacienda Buena Vista is located north of the city of Ponce, along Carretera 123 in the Corral Viejo neighborhood. Tours are available in English from Wednesday to Sunday, or by appointment. The hacienda is a protected natural area of the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico.
A 19th Century Marvel of Engineering
Founded in 1833 by Salvador Vives, Hacienda Buena Vista, or Hacienda Vives, began as a corn mill intended to supply food for the slaves working the nearby lands. It migrated to coffee when the third generation of the Vives family, Salvador Vives Navarro, acquired the machinery and structures needed to plant the lucrative bean. Additionally, the plantation produced cocoa and achiote, or annatto seed.
However, the Vives family faced a challenge in employing water power, which required the water to be returned clean to the Canas river. Consequently, they constructed a 1,121-foot brick canal (later covered in cement for protection) and a small aqueduct that channeled the river water into the mills. The ingenious design was curved to facilitate the flow of water and utilized a decanting tank to filter the water before it reached the buildings.
The tour takes you from the 19th-century home of the Vives family, which still retains original period furnishings, out into the sub-tropical forest where the water was channeled. Furthermore, our docent, Zamira, explained how the dense canopy of cocoa trees protected the coffee beans, pointed out some of the local flora and fauna, and led us into the heart of the plantation to demonstrate how corn and coffee were produced.
At each stage, we learned how water, humidity, and shade were crucial for making cornmeal and coffee. We observed water turning a mill using a massive and unique two-arm turbine, which was a technological innovation of its time. Along the way, I discovered that 28 pounds of coffee beans in an almud, or a coffee container, produces just 3 pounds of coffee, instilling a whole new appreciation for my morning cup.
During October, you have the amazing opportunity to participate in the coffee production process from start to finish—ranging from picking the beans to roasting and ultimately drinking the end product. Incidentally, Puerto Rico is known for producing some excellent coffee. Nevertheless, regardless of your timing, Hacienda Buena Vista offers a wonderfully restored, maintained, and interactive experience in the mountains of Puerto Rico’s interior.
