The Plaza de Armas is a rectangular stone square defined by the low, colonial government buildings that enclose it on all four sides. It began as the city’s original parade ground in the sixteenth century. When the Spanish governor moved…
Colonial Forts and Sea Walls
Trace the historic coastal defenses of Old Havana along a continuous path of massive stone fortresses, harbor lookouts, and surviving remnants of the ancient city walls.
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1. Plaza de Armas
2. Havana Castle Of The Royal Force
The Castillo de la Real Fuerza is the oldest stone fortress built by Spaniards in the Americas, easily identified by the bronze weather vane of a woman clutching a cross and a palm branch perched atop its watchtower. Completed in fifteen…
3. Parque Infantil La Maestranza
The Parque Infantil La Maestranza stands out for the faded, stationary steam locomotive that sits permanently on its tracks. This space occupies the former site of the Spanish colonial artillery workshop, or maestranza. After the military…
4. Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta
The Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta sits at the narrow entrance to Havana Harbor, marked by thick stone walls that jut directly into the sea. Built in the late sixteenth century, this fort functioned as the western anchor of the…
5. Baluarte de Angel
The Baluarte de Angel is a jagged stone remnant of the colonial walls that once encircled Havana. Its dark, weathered masonry stands apart from the surrounding pastel facades and polished streets. Builders raised this bastion in the…
6. Fragmento de la Muralla de La Habana
Thick blocks of limestone jut from the street corner, jagged and uneven against the smooth modern pavement. These remnants are the last surviving pieces of the defensive wall that once completely encircled Old Havana. King Philip the Fifth…