As a Santiago native and the daughter of a historian, places rich in history in Cuba are not unfamiliar to me. However, in five months in Havana, I had not visited the Plaza de Armas.
The truth is, I stumbled upon it by chance. My mother, who is visiting, insisted on seeing the Perfume Museum (which I鈥檒l tell you about in a future post), and while walking through the area, we unexpectedly found ourselves in this place. To my immense surprise, I had no idea it even existed. And oh boy. What a place.
The square is the founding site of the Villa de San Crist贸bal de La Habana. This is where it all began, folks. Initially, there was a church, the parish, the fortress, and the park in the middle, but things happened, and now the layout is different. I鈥檒l explain as I go.
The first thing that caught my eye was the Castillo de la Real Fuerza. From what I could find out, it鈥檚 the oldest standing fortress in all of the Americas. It was built between 1558 and 1577, on the very spot where a fort once stood before it was destroyed by French corsairs in 1555.
My mum for scale 馃槄
I loved that the moat had water!!! There was even a little boat anchored there. Although I didn鈥檛 go inside the museum (I鈥檒l save that for another day, another post), just walking around the outside was already a marvel.
The fortress has a tower known as the Torre de la Espera (Tower of Waiting), named after a beautiful yet sad legend. It is said that Do帽a In茅s de Bobadilla, the wife of the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto, was left as the governor of Cuba while her husband attempted to conquer Florida. Every day, she would climb the tower to wait for the arrival of her husband鈥檚 galleon. Unfortunately, he never returned, as he died during the conquest.
It鈥檚 a Cuban story of women waiting on a dock or similar place for men who go out to sea and never come back鈥攂ittersweet. I鈥檒l tell you more about the tower, the legend, and other details in a specific post about the museum, which I definitely plan to visit.
There鈥檚 also the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, now the Museo de la Ciudad, and the Palacio del Segundo Cabo. I promise to visit these places and make posts about them. These buildings are IMPRESSIVE鈥攙ery old, majestic, imposing... I can鈥檛 even explain how beautiful they are.
Around the square, you鈥檒l find El Templete. This site is from another era and has a unique beauty. El Templete was built in the 19th century as a tribute to the site where the first Mass, the founding Mass of the Villa, supposedly took place.
Inside, there鈥檚 a beautiful mural painting, a bust of Columbus, and the famous ceiba tree around which Habaneros walk several times and make wishes on the day of the city鈥檚 founding (another beautiful tradition I鈥檇 love to witness one day). I understand it鈥檚 the first neoclassical building in Cuba, though I鈥檇 have to confirm that. In any case, it鈥檚 absolutely lovely.
And then there鈥檚 the square itself. I left it for last because, surrounded by tall, majestic stone constructions鈥攕tructures built by humans to demonstrate and maintain their power鈥攖he square is one of the most beautiful natural spaces I鈥檝e seen in all of Havana. And notice I say beautiful: chaotic, natural, zen, cute, whatever you want to call it鈥攂eautiful.
In the very center stands a statue of Carlos Manuel de C茅spedes, the Father of the Nation, the man who started the war of 1868 and set the path that would eventually lead to the end of Spanish colonization in Cuba. It鈥檚 curious because around the square, there are several statues, all of Spanish kings, and over there, a bust of Columbus, the one who "discovered" us (I won鈥檛 get into that specific debate). But right in the center of the square, C茅spedes. Hah. Well, I like it.
The design features four large spaces around the statue, each with a fountain, and those fountains are what I loved most about this place. Covered in moss, ancient, flowing with water, bringing freshness and a relaxing sound, with little birds bathing in them鈥攊t鈥檚 just so lovely 馃槶.
And the vegetation there doesn鈥檛 look, you know, perfectly even and controlled like in a European garden. It grows freely. It鈥檚... gorgeous. My favorite place in Havana so far.
And that鈥檚 it for my post about a place I discovered by chance and plan to explore further. A hug to everyone from Cuba, and happy travels, my curious community 馃グ.