This tobacco farm was located high in the mountains of central Puerto Rico during the mid 1800’s and early 1900’s. Note that most of the land is covered by white cheese cloth under which fine wrapper leaves (Pantoja, Hoja Prieto and Vaca de Linga) were produced. These leaves were exported and used on all the finest cigars in the world. Buyers included Brazil, Africa, US, Cuba, Santa Domingo, Germany, Spain and Mexico. Puerto Rico was ranked fifth in quantity of plants per acre. The tobacco plants of Puerto Rico are still the most sought after products on the market. These were the same plants Cuba brought illegally to establish itself as a world class tobacco producer during Spanish occupation. Cuba’s reputation for fine cigars was built on Puerto Rican Tobacco.

In the foreground are rows of huts in which the field workers lived. These clusters of huts eventually became the towns surrounding Cayey, Aibonito, Naranjito, San German, Comerio, Caguas and other notable tobacco growing areas in Puerto Rico. The tobacco drying barns were large and numerous. Many of the originals are still standing today. The cheese cloth coverings were so numerous at the time that the mountains appeared to be snow covered.