Havana is a synthesis of all Cuba, capital of the island and one of the most beautiful cities in Latin America. The charm of the “Pearl of the Caribbean” continues to act, and those who know it return enriched and conquered. Renewed, it offers all that one can imagine in terms of colonial architecture. Its most important neighborhoods, Old Havana, Vedado, Miramar, Centro Havana and Malecón will make you appreciate the memories of ancient architecture. Havana is the tropical splendor that brings together the best of Spain, the best of Africa and the best of the West Indies. Havana, with its old American cars, its stripped-down buildings, its history, its people and its rhythms leaves no one indifferent.
Brief history of Havana
It is one of the cities of the New World with the most historical tradition. It was founded in 1515 by Diego Velázquez, under the name of San Cristóbal de la Habana, in a place on the south coast, near the current population of Surgidero de Batabano. A few years later, around 1519, its inhabitants moved to the northern part of the island.
Due to its privileged location, it became an important point on the route between America and the peninsula and, for this reason, it frequently attracted pirate attacks. In order to defend it, a defensive system based on fortresses was built in the 15th century and completed in the 17th century. In 1592, it was declared a city by Philip II and in 1607, it became the capital of the island by royal decree, an honor that had been held until then by Santiago de Cuba. In 1762, it was conquered by the English and returned to Spain by the Peace of Paris (1763), in exchange for the territory of Florida. During the 18th century, it began its economic growth, which continued throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
In 1898, under the pretext of the bombing of the battleship Mane, in its port, the United States declared war on Spain and on January 1, 1899, the island proclaimed its independence under American occupation. The city acquired a modern physiognomy and until the communist revolution, it was a paradise for American tourism.
Since 1959, it has become one of the revolutionary centers of Latin America and Africa. The fall of communism in the USSR and the American blockade gave it an uncertain future.
Number of inhabitants
More than 2.200.000 inhabitants.