Explores esthetic and historical experiments in farming throughout the Spanish Carribbean, using “The Cuban Counterpoint Between Tobacco and Sugar” (1940) by Fernando Ortiz as a guide. As we will see, different crops produced varied political and cultural responses. Along with a general view on musical forms and plastic arts, as well as political developments, we will concentrate on literary works such as Cecilia Valdés and other abolitionist novels, the Dominican Over and La charca from Puerto Rico, as well as writing by Hostos and Bonó among many others.