Old Havana | Main Square
Old Havana, also known as San Cristóbal de la Habana, was founded on November 16, 1519. Surrounded by a wall like a medieval city, it closed its doors and the entrance to its bay at 9:00 every night in touch leftover announced with a Shot (today a ceremony at the “Fort of San Carlos de la Cabana). You can find this out if you visit the monument “El Templete”, a neoclassical building with 3 paintings about this historical fact, a statue of Pilar Santa, patron saint of the sailors, a pineapple, queen of all fruits in Cuba and the ceiba of African origin and sacred in the Afro-Cuban religion where on the city’s birthday it is turned 3 times and a wish is made.
The Plaza de Armas where the soldiers of the “Castillo de la Fuerza” Fortress did their daily exercises and took care of the city. La Fuerza fort was built in the early 16th century and destroyed by the French pirate “Jacques de Sores” and rebuilt again resembling a 4-pointed star to strategically defend the city from all directions. The Fort of Punta and El Morro began their constructions. Today the Fort is a museum displaying a collection of gold and silver finds from sunken ships. In the upper part there is a statue called “La Giraldilla”, a figure of a woman that is inspired by Inés de Bobadilla, wife of Hernando de Soto, who went to Florida and it is said that she walked every afternoon waiting for the her husband’s boats. by the entrance of the bay. If you’re a US or Cuban citizen, you probably know De Soto’s vintage cars named after him and if you drink Cuban rum you can see his statue on the bottle label.
The main authorities of the Spanish Army resided in this square. The Palacio del Segundo Cabo (2nd in charge) of simple baroque-style construction, simple due to the use of solid rock (limestone). Today, this is a Book Fair, in fact, in the entire Plaza; You can find all kinds of old books. The City Museum, home of the “Captain General” and governor of the city is the main building. At first it was a Church, but it suffered storms and a boat explosion that destroyed the Dome, and as the Cathedral was already under construction, they decided to become the property of the main authority of the Island. In the center is the statue of Christopher Columbus, above a museum with fine art collections, and below shows what was the Church. In front there is a wooden street, one of the captains asked for the noise of the horses with cards.
The Hotel Santa Isabel, first a smaller house of the Counts of Santovenia, was built by an American who made the hotel as it is today but back in the 18th century. It was known because the waitresses wore short uniforms, a scandal for the time. This is today a 5-star hotel that was used by former President Jimmy Carter during his visit to Cuba. Carter stayed in the Santovenia room. There is a roof with a nice view of the little square bar right on the corner with good mojitos and Cuba libre.
Other buildings are the Museum of Natural History, upstairs was what was the first US embassy, a law firm (I met an elderly Cuban, Puerto Rican nationalized, who left after the revolution who told me this) . The trades street (offices), where the people who wrote all the events that happened in the city were, the restaurant “La Mina” a colonial house with peacocks, roosters around your table while you eat. “Al Medina”, an Arabic food restaurant with a pleasant atmosphere. The Museum of Old Cars, on the way we find one of the cheapest hotels in Old Havana, Hostal Valencia with a restaurant specializing in Paellas, Tobacco and an excellent location.
Old Havana Square in San Francisco
Plaza San Francisco was a commercial plaza; ships brought and unloaded their goods. The Franciscans were among the first religious orders to arrive in Havana and built their first church right here. In 1719 it was rebuilt but years later the Dome suffered the effects of hurricanes and was totally destroyed. Today the convent is a venue for classical music and a museum. The dome area pays homage to Maria Teresa of Calcutta with a small Greek church in the back. There is a tower that used to be the highest place in Havana for some time, you can visit it today.
A commercial building, “Lonja Del Comercio” (trade offices) is, in my opinion, one of the best located places to run a travel agency. Built in 1909 by an American company, each floor represents a different architectural style (art Nouveau, art deco, neoclassical) at the top, the statue of Hermes, a messenger of the gods. A post office and the Local Travel Agency “San Cristóbal de la Habana” where you can request the professional service of your tour guides. Habaguanex SA, the company that operates the hotels in this 4 square kilometer zone. The CUPET SA building is next door. The Plaza is peculiar because of the pigeons in the area with someone in charge of feeding them daily. The main hotel in this square is a new one called “Hotel Palacio del Marqués de San Felipe y Santiago de Bejucal”.
Along the way, art galleries such as the Cuban Nelson Domínguez, an international bank BFI, the “Los Frailes hotel” where the uniform of the staff resembles monks, as well as bars and places to eat, the Humboldt museum, a Cuban perfume made locally.
Old Square in Old Havana
“Plaza Vieja”, built to move all commercial activities here. In the 20th century this plaza was to be converted into a 2 level underground parking lot and all the buildings leading from here to the CAPITOL Stairs were demolished. The Plaza was restored in the 1990s by the Historian’s office, giving it the appearance it had centuries ago. There is a lot of restoration going on, my favorite building here is called Palacio Cueto from 1906, you can see the façade with a Gaudí influence with balconies that look like waves. Other attractions in the area include: The Playing Card Museum, Paul and Shark Shop, an art gallery, on the corner the local Beer bar for grilled fish and a great tube of beer. There is an elementary school, a hotel, a building to rent an office and the restaurant Bar “Benny Moré” where musicians from the Buena Vista Social Club still play.
Mercaderes street continues towards more bars, hotels, the house of chocolate. On the corner is the street “Amargura” (means bitter) for the bitter Way of the Cross that begins in the church of San Francisco until reaching the church of Jesus Christ. More colonial hotels on the way like the Conde de Villanueva or also called the Hostal del Habano where personalities from all over the world came here for a cigar tasting. Arnold Schwarzenegger kept coming to Cuba (in defiance of the US embargo against Cuba) and has a photo here. Other places of interest are the Hotel Ambos Mundos where Hemingway stayed from 1933 to 1939.
cathedral square
This is the fourth Plaza. The water supply for Havana came from a river 15 kilometers away and the locals collected it at the corner of “El Chorro”. The restaurant “El Patio” is the most frequented by tourists in Havana, the Church “La Catedral”. If you look at the two towers of the church, you will notice that one is wider than the other, this was to avoid closing the “Empedrado” street, one of the first streets built in the 16th century. This street takes you to “La Bodeguita del Medio”, the bar that became famous when the owner of this house started a small business and sold mojitos.
There is much more to learn from Havana Cuba, a World Heritage site with restoration underway. Every day you surprised with a new place to visit and see the difference of what was the Havana that nobody liked. Old Havana is one of the best places to stay, the hotels are full of history and charm. For hotels in Old Havana see our Cuba vacation website.