Havana's Plazas

Plaza de Armas

PLAZA DE ARMAS: This park, on Ave del Puerto and Calle O’Reily, is in Old Havana, south of the malecón but still along the water. This is the oldest square and was a military focal point for Old Havana. It was paved in wood cobblestones at the request of Antonio de Cespedes (see below). On the square is the Palace of the Captains General, built between 1776 and 1791,which housed the Spanish governors. Later it became a prison. Today it plays host to the City Museum. The palace stands where an old fort, built in 1538 by Hernando de Soto, once stood. There is also the Real Fuerza with the famous bronze statue of the La Giraldilla weather vane, one of the most beloved symbols of Havana. Her stance is one of defiance (the Cubans say). The one on the plaza is a copy of the original, which is located in the City Museum. Inside the fort is the Museum of Ceramics. The Temple (the Chapel) and the Santa Isabel Hotel are also on the plaza. El Temple was built in 1828 and is in the spot where the first mass was held. That mass took place under a cedar tree (see History section). Inside El Temple is a huge painting by Juan Bautista Vermay, founder of the San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts. The present tree on the square was planted in 1959 to replace the original that was cut down in 1754 and replaced with a memorial column.

At one side of the tree is the Carlos Manuel de Cespedes monument. He was a plantation owner and lawyer, born in 1819 in Bayamo. He is often called the “Father of the Nation” because he started the Ten Years War of Independence against Spain. He issued the famous Grito de Yara from his plantation in 1868, declaring Cuba’s independence. He then freed his slaves, led a few more revolts and became head of government for Cuba. He was later deposed by other revolutionaries and, in 1873, caught by the Spanish and executed.

Plaza de la Catedral

PLAZA DE LA CATEDRAL: Cathedral Plaza, at Calle Empedrado and San Ignacio in Old Havana, is where you will find the city’s main cathedral. Inside are paintings by the French artist Juan Bautista Vermay, sculptures and gold works by Italian artist Francesco Bianchini, and frescoes by Guisseppe Perovani. There is also the funerary monument to Christopher Columbus; this is where he was laid in state. Next to the church is the San Carlos and San Ambrosio Seminary, which dates to the early 1800s. Construction of the square (and the church) was completed in 1777. The plaza was originally called Zanja Real, or the royal swamp, because it was here that the public bathhouse was located. On the western edge is where a cistern was placed to hold the water. There is a hole in the wall with a commemorative plaque indicating where the water flowed from the area into the sea. In the 18th century, wealthy families built mansions near the square and promenaded on Sundays.

The oldest house on the square, the House of the Count of Casa Bayona, has the Victor Manuel Art Gallery and the Museum of Colonial Art. The house was built in 1720. The Count of Casa Bayona is known for humbling himself before his slaves and inviting them to dinner after he had washed their feet. The slaves took advantage of this and set fire to his mill. As punishment, their heads (separated from their bodies) were placed on spikes along the road.

El Patio restaurant, Calle San Ignacio #54, on the plaza’s northwest corner, is in the House of the Marqueses of Aguas Claras III, who resided here 1751-1775. The elegant house was built by Antonio Ponce de Leon, a descendent of the first explorer to set foot in Florida. On the plaza’s eastern edge is Casa de Lombillo, pre-1750. This is where Havana had its first post office; it now holds the Dept of Education.

Plaza Vieja

PLAZA VIEJA: Located on Calle San Ignacio, between Ave Teniente Rey, Mercaderes and Muralla, in Old Havana. On Old Square are the Photography Library, The Cuban Arts and Crafts Foundation, and the Visual Arts Development Center, all set in the House of the Count of Jaruco. Construction of the plaza was started in 1587 and not completed until the mid-1700s. It was originally called the New Square, but its name changed after newer plazas were built. It has also been called the Royal Square, the Major Square, the Vegetable Square, the Juan Bruno Ayas and the Julian Grimau Park. The center of the plaza was once the location of the Mercado de Cristina, named after Queen Cristina of Spain. The market was replaced by a park in 1908 and the underground parking was put in later. The fountain in the center with its four dolphins is made of marble.

San Francisco Plaza

SAN FRANCISCO PLAZA: This plaza, at Calle Oficios and Ave Mutalla, is just two blocks from the Sierra Maestra Terminal where cruise ships dock. The plaza, the second to be built in the city, features the Convent and Lesser Bascilica of San Francisco de Assisi (Iglesia y Convento Menor de San Francisco de Asis), built in 1719 and remodeled in a baroque style in 1730. Its bell tower is 125 feet high and inside the church is a Tiffany clock. The church is now used as a concert hall, but inside you can still see the tombs under sections of the floor that were tiled in glass. This church was home to Friar Francisco Solano, who was canonized by the Catholic Church. A figure of Francis of Assisi once stood at the top of the building, but a hurricane that blew through in 1846 took off his head. The rest of the figure was removed. San Francisco Plaza also housed the city’s first convent, which was built in 1591 and was a working convent until 1841, at which time it became a military barracks.

Also on this plaza is the Lonja del Comercio, the original stock exchange built in 1907 that now houses the foreign film offices. The marble fountain in the center was the first fountain in the city and was carved in1836 by Giuseppe Gaggini of Italy. On the west side of the plaza is a Benetton outlet, one of the first international retail stores in Cuba. At one time the plaza was famous for the San Francisco Festival, when everyone in Havana came to gamble.

Cristo Square

CRISTO SQUARE: Set at Calle Brazil and Ave Villegas near the Capitolio, Cristo Square is where Wormald from Graham Green’s Our Man in Havana was “swallowed up among the pimps and lottery sellers.” Today the square isn’t the greatest attraction, but its dullness will change with restoration. The Convent and Church of Good Voyage (Buen Viaje) was built in 1755 for sailors who needed a place to pray. In 1932 the church was expanded. Check out the monument to Gabriel de la Concepcion Valdes, commonly called Placido, a mulatto poet born in Havana in 1809. He was quite young when he became famous throughout Latin America as a revolutionary poet. His writings brought hima jail termand then execution, along with 19 of his buddies who were accused of conspiring in the Escalada Conspiracy of 1844.

José Marti Revolution Square

JOSÉ MARTÍ REVOLUTION SQUARE: This wellknown square is surrounded by Ave Boyeros, Ave Manuel de Cespedes and Ave 20 de Mayo. It is dominated by the huge monument (shown at right) to Cuba’s National hero, a poet, playwright and activist against colonialism. José Martí was expelled from Cuba at the age of 17 for his actions against the Spanish, but returned eventually to fight for freedom. Obviously, he was better with pen than gun. He died at the age of 42 just moments after entering his first battle. At the base of the monument is a museum dedicated to him and inside are documents and photos commemorating this man’s life. As might be expected, all of Martí’s writings speak against any type of tyranny or dictatorship and promote freedom of individual thought. Take the elevator to the top of the monument to get a view of the city from its highest vantage point. The National Library and Theater are near the square, as is the Ministry of Information and Communication, which houses the Postal Museum, which specializes in stamps of Cuba (see below). The Palace of the Revolution (headquarters of the Communist Party) is behind the monument. Across from the square is the bus station and to one side is the huge face of Che Guevara, made of wrought iron and pasted onto the side of a military building. This is a gargantuan open square where many travelers enjoy the flavor of Havana. It has seen the most rallies and demonstrations held in support of the revolution, and it’s where Castro gives his May Day speech to revitalize the spirit of the revolution. I’d suggest missing that one as Castro’s speeches are known to last for hours.

Cristobal Colon Cemetery

CRISTOBAL COLÓN CEMETERY: Features over a million graves, tombs and mausoleums. At the entrance is a 22.5-meter (75-ft) replica of the Arch de Triumph with the inscription, “The pale death enters both the cabins of the poor and the palaces of kings.” The cemetery, at Calle Zapata and Ave 12, Vedado, was designed by Arellano de Loira, a graduate from Madrid’s Royal Academy of the Arts. He won a contest run by the Spanish government to build a new cemetery and it became one of the most famous in the world. The place is so big that it is divided into quarters and there are named streets and avenues; street signs allow visitors to find specific graves. This is where photographer Alberto Korda shot the famous photo of Che Guevara with his tam and squinted eyes that is seen on many T-shirts today. There is a $1 entrance fee.