Special supplement of the magazine Legality, Law and Society OUR November, 2020 HAVANA 501 years Attorney General’s Office of the Republic in defense of legality

Cover photo: Cubadebate Birth of a CITY

he Village of San Cristóbal de La The “City of columns”, as it was named Habana, today the capital of Cuba, by Alejo Carpentier, as a manifestation of Treaches its 501st anniversary. the love and respect he felt for it. Havana has been and it is a space for culture in its One of the slogans that accompanied different manifestations, an expression of the the 500th anniversary of the city life of a country that rises every day. Sung by was “Real y Maravillosa” (Real and poets and musicians, inspiration for writers. Marvelous) and certainly, it is. Alejo Carpentier’s Marvelous Real describes Havana is the date of beautiful city and our Havana, because it’s not about rural landscapes and the gorgeous view of being the most beautiful city, although the sea. that’s how we see it, but about being extraordinary, real for everyone, with good and bad. It has the quality to amaze us. In it, modern and old coexist, a little piece of a wall that is hundreds of years old next to a recent building.

With the distinctive touch of those who are born here, and those who come from other parts of the country, forever or just passing through. It is the result of all Cubans, fragments of customs, cultures, legends, foods, words from every corner of Cuba. As Fernando Ortiz said, Havana is an Ajiaco made by the contribution from each province, each people, everyone.

Photo: Adrián Lago del Valle Attorney General’s Office of the Republic Foto: NUESTRA HABANA 1 Where all started…

nd it was under a Ceiba tree, in front of the sea, where the Village of San Cristóbal de La Habana was born, back in 1519, on November A16th. The first mass was celebrated in its shadow and the Cabildo (Town Council) was formed to guard the new village.

This place was perpetuated by a commemorative Ceiba tree.The one we can find now is not the original, several have grown in this place, but each time this tree is planted and the mysticism about the tree remains.

Later, in 1754, the governor Don Francisco Cagigal de la Vega erected a three-faced column with an image of the Virgin of Pilar on top. Two inscriptions were placed at the base. One in Latin and the other one in old Spanish, about those events.

NUESTRA HABANA 2 Templete in 1980 Photo: Archivo Granma

Representation of the celebration of the first Cabildo and the first mass in the Villa, in the year 1519 Photo: Granma Archive

In 1828 El Templete sprung up, it is a symbol of the city and it is closely related to one of the most beautiful and ancient traditions of the Island. Its interior canvases, whose author was the French painter, resident in Cuba, Juan Bautista Vermay, tell the story of Templete today the city’s birth and they are a reflection of the Photo: Canal Caribe inhabitants and their society.

But Havana had two previous settlements. Almendares River, and in 1519 it was moved In 1514, it was established as a camp at a point from La Chorrera to the current location. It on the southern coast of the current province was a strategic location, with a bay and a not yet determined. The legend says that near port, very favorable conditions for a city at the mouth of Mayabeque River, it was the that time. According to Eusebio Leal Spengler, territory of the Taino cacique Habaguanex, Historian of the City of Havana, it was hence the name Havana. The communal decided to assume the year 1519 as the date of coat of arms of Melena del Sur bears the foundation, since there is no evidence of the inscription: HIC PRIMO HABANA CONDIDA first settlement, as there is of the location to EST, translated as: “Habana was founded the north. here first”. This phrase suggests the idea that the village was created in this place. Felipe II conferred the title of City to Havana on December 20th, 1592, twenty-nine Later it was moved to the north, in search years after the governor of Cuba moved his of a different scene, better economic and official residence to Havana from Santiago de military interests. It was located at the mouth Cuba, until then the seat of the government of of the Casiguaguas River, today known as the Island.

NUESTRA HABANA 3 And we changed... he bay, the geographical The municipalities of Old Havana and location and the resources of Centro Havana constitute the traditional THavana influenced its economic nucleus. The historical center is located development. It was turned on one of in Old Havana. It was placed within the the main commercial nodes of America. city walls until the second half of the 19th century. The streets of Centro Habana From the beginning, the city found a became the commercial and service arteries source of enrichment in the sugar and of the 20th-century and the dawn of 19th slave trade. After the independence it century. Nowadays some streets of El Vedado became a holiday destination. are contemporary symbols of the leisure time of the people of Havana. The original San Cristóbal de La Habana was growing, annexing other Havana, which for a time was called towns, some of considerable size like Havana City, is one of the fifteen Cuban Marianao and Guanabacoa, and others provinces and the current capital of Cuba. It small like Regla, but with important is the most populated city in the country and conditions and economic zones. In the main center of the political, economic its metropolitan area it also included and socio-cultural life of the nation. It is Santiago de las Vegas and Cotorro. the seat of the offices of the government, the State and the Communist Party of Cuba, as well as the main cultural and scientific institutions of the country.

Photo: Radio Taíno

NUESTRA HABANA 4 “Havana is a state of mind for me (...) What is its style? None, it has them all, it brings them all together and in that concept of the whole there is beauty”.

Eusebio Leal Spengler

Photo: Adrián Lago del Valle Attorney General’s Office of the Republic

NUESTRA HABANA 5 Symbols

CITY OF HAVANA’S THE GIRALDILLA

COAT OF ARMS The Giraldilla, a symbol of love, is the guardian of the city, it is located in the It was granted by the Spanish king to Castillo de la Real Fuerza. It is an initiative to San Cristóbal de La Habana from 1665, perpetuate the memory of Isabel de Bobadilla, it is the official emblem of the city. It the wife of Hernando de Soto, governor of Cuba contains as heraldic symbols the first and conqueror of Florida. He left the city and three castles of the city: Castillo de la she stayed waiting for his return, but he never Real Fuerza, Castillo de los Tres Reyes came back because he found death. The statue del Morro and Castillo de San Salvador was made by the sculptor Jerónimo Martín de la Punta, with three silver towers Pinzón. The bronze statue is a weather vane over a blue field. In addition, a gold key in the shape of a woman holding a palm in her symbolizing the title of “Key to the New right hand and the Cruz de Calatrava on her left World”, granted to the city. one, an order that the governor belonged to. The one we can see today is a replica because the original is in the City Museum, formerly the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales.

NUESTRA HABANA 6 Industriales TEAM

Havana´s baseball team owes its name to an initiative of Commander Ernesto Che Guevara. He was the Minister of Industry and he proposed the creation of a team to represent workers of the industry sector which was so important in the economy of the country. It is the oldest of the teams that participate in our national classics. They are the Lions of the Capital as well.

BLUE color

Blue is the color of the capital, since this area is surrounded by navy blue. This territory has more than forty kilometers of coast where there are included the bay, one of the most important ports of the continent, beautiful beaches and the Malecón, the last one joins the sky creating a symphony of blue tones.

Another element of why blue identifies those who were born or reside in the capital is that this color is found on the city’s coat of arms and represented the Almendares Club of the former Cuban Professional Baseball League, the predecessor of the Industriales team.

Photo: Darien Cubadebate

NUESTRA HABANA 7 Traditions

The nine Pilgrimage to the o’clock Sanctuary of CANNON SHOT SAN LÁZARO A cannon shot announces the arrival of Every year in the second and third nine o’clock at night to those in or around Old weeks of December, especially on the Havana. The nine o’clock cannon shot until 17th, people from everywhere make a 1863, when the walls that surrounded and pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of San Lazaro protected Havana from corsairs and pirates’ in El Rincón. This saint is considered assaults collapsed, indicated the closing of miraculous by sick people. the doors of the stone gate. This tradition, which continues to this day, has become a recreational ceremony in which every night a squadron of soldiers, dressed in the uniform of the colonial army, load the cannon with gunpowder whose shot reverberates for an instant over Havana, as it did centuries ago.

Photo: Radio Rebelde Photo: Internet

NUESTRA HABANA 8 A little walk to LA CEIBA The Ceiba is a sacred tree in Afro-Cuban religions; black people coming from Africa as slaves deposited their legend in it. Believers offer it a saintly treatment, since all ancestors and diverse spirits are settled on this tree; therefore, the Ceiba tree is not cut, burned or cut down without permission of the Orishas.

The first Ceiba tree under whose foliage the mass and the Cabildo were held, disappeared. Between the years 1755 and 1757, three were planted around the site where it had been Return to the Ceiba, November 16, 1981 located, two dried up and the third one was Photo: Osvaldo Salas cut down in 1827 to facilitate the construction of El Templete.

In 1828, three other Ceibas were planted, only one survived 131 years, until 1960. Great efforts were made to save the centennial tree in 1959, the stone fence around it that compressed its roots was broken, a serum was applied so that food drops would reach the plant’s circulation area, the branches and Specialist dry branches were sawn off and the tree was passing a fumigated, but even so the Ceiba tree did not serum to the recover, so in 1960 another one was planted. circulation of This specimen remained until February 9th, the centenary Ceiba, August 2016; on March 15th of that year, a young 27, 1959 Ceiba tree was transplanted for this site, about Photo: Aristides fifteen years old and eight meters high, from Granma Las Terrazas, Artemisa, which is the one that can currently be seen in El Templete. According to a legend, turning around Every November 15th, around midnight, that sacred tree in Yoruba tradition, people from Havana, born and passing touching it, hugging it and even kissing through, go to the Templete to celebrate the it attracts prosperity. For scholars this anniversary of the city’s foundation. When is one of the most deeply rooted Havana they arrive at the Ceiba, they make three turns traditions, reflecting the syncretism and make a wish. between Spanish and African cultures.

NUESTRA HABANA 9 Personalities and characters

The National Hero MATÍAS PÉREZ, José Julián Martí Pérez, the most universal of the one Cubans, National Hero, Apostle of Independence, Major General of the Liberation Army, founder who flew and Delegate of the Cuban Revolutionary Party is also a Havana native. He was born in Old “He flew as Matias Perez” is a very Havana on January 28th, 1853 and he lived here popular phrase and it was inspired by and in other places such as Centro Habana. It a real character from Havana. Matías was in Havana where he studied, started his Pérez was an awning maker who strove conspiracy work and began his literary career. to reach space. His feat is not part of the Guanabacoa and Regla witnessed his incessant annals of aeronautics, but he became political work. He is the most illustrious son of a symbol of what disappears not to re- Havana and Cuba. turn. Matías was also known as the King of awnings, he rose on June 28th, 1856 from Campo de Marte, today Parque de La Fraternidad, in his second ascent aboard the aerostat La Villa de París and people didn’t hear from him anymore.

Photos: Ecured

NUESTRA HABANA 10 A KNIGHT from PARIS in HAVANA One of the most emblematic characters of the city is the Knight of Paris, his real name was José María López Lledín. He was born in the village of Vilaseca, Spain, on December 30th, 1899. He arrived in Havana in December 1913, at the age of 12, and worked as a manager in a flower store, as a tailor and in restaurants. The cause of his emo- tional imbalance is still a mystery, although many researchers believe that the reason was the years of unjust imprisonment he suffered when he was arrested in 1920 and sent to the Castillo del Prícipe Castle prison.

This kind gentleman with a characteristic beard, long hair and black cape, walked around the streets, greeting and discussing with the passersby the most varied subjects. Because his education, his airs of nobility, the small gestures and his gift for the word, he won the affection and respect of the city, occupying an important place in Havana.

He died on July 11th, 1985 at the age of 86. He was buried in the cemetery of Santiago de las Vegas, but his remains were later exhumed by Eusebio Leal, the Historian of the City of Havana, and transferred to the convent of San Francisco de Asis, his resting place. At the entrance of this convent there is a bronze statue, created by the Cuban sculptor José Villa Soberón, in tribute to the famous character. All visitors touch the index finger of his left hand or beard to make a wish, which is why the bronze is polished in both places. Photo: Ecured

NUESTRA HABANA 11 JEWELS of the Ballet

Some of the most important figures of the Cuban ballet are from Havana. The prima ballerina assoluta, director and founder of the Cuban National Ballet (BNC) and the Four Jewels of the National Ballet were born in Havana.

Alicia Alonso (December 21st, 1920 - October 17th, 2019) is one of the most relevant personalities in the history of Cuban and universal dance. She placed the Cuban National Ballet among the most presti- gious companies in the world.

Josefina Méndez (March 8th, 1941 - January 26th, 2007)

Loipa Araújo (May 27th, 1941)

Mirta Plá (1940 - September 21st, 2003)

Aurora Bosch (December 10th, 1942)

The Four Jewels are balleri- nas, teachers and instructors. They are great figures of the ballet and representatives of Photos: Internet the Cuban school of ballet.

NUESTRA HABANA 12 A WALK with PERSONALITIES

Photo: Canal Caribe

In Mercaderes Street, passersby can meet Brindis de Salas (the Cuban Paganini) can some of the most relevant personalities of be distinguished. intellectual and Cuban culture of the 19th century. Its author was Andrés Carrillo and he counted for its realization with the architect Sixty-seven life-size figures are found in the Jaime Rodríguez, the sculptor Nicolás Ramos Mural of the Personalities, most of them were Guiardinú, students of the San Alejandro born in Havana, but also came from other School and other institutions. regions. Not all the personalities coincide in the period that the mural recreates. The work stands in front of the Palacio del Marqués de Arcos, which later became the Figures such as Gertrudis Gómez de Liceo Artístico y Literario de La Habana. Avellaneda, Félix Varela, José Antonio Saco, José María Heredia, José de la Luz It was completed on December 27th, 2000, y Caballero, José Jacinto Milanés, Cirilo it has a dimension of 300 m2, composed of Villaverde, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and 52 panels.

NUESTRA HABANA 13 “Havana must be loved by locals and visitors”.

Luis Antonio Torres Iríbar, First Secretary of the Party in Havana

Photo: Adrián Lago del Valle NUESTRA HABANA 14 Attorney General’s Office of the Republic Walking

in Havana Beautiful natural sites and archi- tectural works have become symbols of this city that is 500 years old. So- me date back almost to its birth and others more recent ones are being woven in the image of Havana. The old city of Havana and its system of fortifications was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982.

Photo: Cubadebate NUESTRA HABANA 15 Plaza Vieja

It emerged as an open space in 1559, it was a residential zoo of the Creole plutocracy in colonial times. It was originally known as Plaza Nueva. The architectural urban complex of the Plaza Vieja is represented by valuable colonial constructions from the XVII, XVIII and XIX centuries and some examples from the first decades of the XX century that maintain Photo: Wilfredo stylistic unity. Rodríguez Ortega Catedral de La Habana In the heart of Old Havana, in the oldest part of the city, we find the Holy and Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Havana, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. This Catholic temple is the Episcopal See of the Archdiocese of San Cristóbal de La Habana. The cathedral, of baroque style, has several relics and tabernacles, inside there are several tombs of illustrious characters of the city and of Cuba. Photo: Radio Reloj FORTALEZA de San Carlos de la CABAÑA This fortress located to the east of the bay is the largest built by Spain in America. Its construction began with the English invasion and ended at the end of the 18th century. At present, it is the main site of the International Book Fair of Havana, among other events. Photo: Adrián Lago del Valle Attorney General’s Office of the Republic

NUESTRA HABANA 16 CASTILLO del Morro The Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro is located at the entrance of the Port of Havana. It is a symbol that inside keeps a lighthouse of great power that directs the navigation and gives the welcome to the city. The engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli was in charge of the work. The building work began in 1589 and concluded Photo: National Center of in 1630. Cultural Heritage Capitolio de LA HABANA

This important architectural and cultural icon of Cuba was built in 1929 to house the Senate and the House of Representatives. The main architect was Eugenio Raynieri Piedra. The colossal building is visible from almost the entire city because of its imposing dome. Inside is the Statue of the Republic, which at 15 meters high, it was the second largest in its time.

It includes other spaces such as the Hall of the Lost Steps and the diamond that marks the KM 0 of the Cuban network roads, this jewel belonged to the last Czar of Russia, Nicholas II, and currently in the place is a replica. The Capitolio was the headquarters of the Cuban Academy of Sciences and after an extensive restoration process it will be the headquarters of the National Assembly of the People’s Power. It is a Photo: Deny Extremera UNESCO World Heritage Site.

NUESTRA HABANA 17 Ciudad Deportiva This is one of the best known places in Hava- na; in the intersection of Boyeros and Vía Blanca Avenues. It is the majestic coliseum, one of the most relevant works of Cuban civil enginee- ring. This place has been the venue for almost five decades of sports, political, educational and cultural events. In front of the Sports City is the Fuente Luminosa, bordered by a traffic circle, an important work that was part of an urban deve- lopment program carried out by the government of Grau San Martín in the mid-1940s. Photo: Inder Site Cementerio de Colón

It is a Cemetery and an open-air museum. It is the most famous and largest cemetery in all America, known for its beauty and the magnificence of its sculptures. It is considered the third Photo: Cubahora most important cemetery in the world. Mercado de Cuatro CAMINOS

The Mercado de Cuatro Caminos, an imposing work that has gained vitality in the 500th anniversary of the city. It was built in 1920, as an exclusive market in the metropolitan area for the trade of agricultural products, from the growing trade relations and the modernization of the mechanisms of supply and consumption. The building is an eclectic construction of steel, glass and reinforced concrete, with a basement, upper Photo: Irene Pérez and first floor.

NUESTRA HABANA 18 Palacio de la REVOLUCIÓN

Photo: Internet The Palace of the Revolution is the main building within the Plaza de la Revolución Complex, located in the Cuban capital. It houses the headquarters of the State Council, the Council of Ministers and the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party. President Carlos Prío ordered its construction originally to be the headquarters of the Supreme Court and the General Prosecutor’s Office. Its construction was completed in 1957. PLAZA de la Revolución It is a symbol of modernity, since it has the highest point of the city, the monument dedicated to José Martí, with a height of 112 meters. The idea of its construction arose in the 1940s, when an international competition was called. The work was completed on July 16, 1961 and was called at that time Civic Square.

It has witnessed some of the most important parades, events and marches in revolutionary history. At its base is the José Martí Memorial, which treasures the thoughts of the Ápostol Nacional. Photo: Cubahora

NUESTRA HABANA 19 MALECÓN de La Habana The sea, next to which Havana was born, widens in its immensity, and in front, like a sofa, extends the Havana Malecón. Almost eight kilometers long, it covers this seat, whose beginnings date back to 1901 and was built in stages. Important avenues converge in it and dissimilar monuments and buildings rise. People come from everywhere to enjoy sunsets or sunrises, to watch the sea, the boats passing by, to play a guitar, to talk or to fish. In this huge concrete seat we see daily couples, groups of students and families sharing memories by the sea, in the middle of this space that has become Photo: Radio Reloj a symbol of Havana and Cuba. BAHÍA de La Habana

It is one of the safest bays in the Caribbean and America. It is shaped like a bag, which gives security to the boats it hosts. It has a privileged location, both geographically and economically. The port of Havana is considered one of the most important in the region and during the colonial era one of the strategic centers for colonial Spain, which is why the bay was protected with a network of fortifications, including the Tower of San Lazaro, the Castle of the Three Kings of the Morro, the Fortress of San Carlos de la Cabaña, the Castle of Atarés, La Photo: Adrián Lago del Valle Chorrera and others. Attorney General’s Office of the Republic

NUESTRA HABANA 20 Universidad de La Habana

Photo: Sitio Universidad de La Habana

It is the oldest university in Cuba and one of the first in the Americas. It is attached to the Ministry of Higher Education and has been a National Monument since October 10, 1978.

It was founded on January 5, 1728 by the Dominican friars belonging to the Order of Preachers, in the Convent of San Juan de Letrán, as the “Real y Pontificia Universidad de San Gerónimo de La Habana”. Its first faculties were Art and Philosophy, Theology, Canons, Law and Medicine.

In 1850 the name was changed to “Real y Literaria Universidad de La Habana” (Royal and Literary University of Havana), governing the Museum of Natural History and the National Botanical Garden, it also had the faculties of Jurisprudence, Medicine, Photo: Radio Reloj Surgery and Pharmacy.

On May 1st, 1902 the University was moved to the Aróstegui Hill, where it is now located. Two elements characterize it, the Alma Mater and its 88-step staircase.

The University Student Federation was founded there; José Antonio Echeverría, Julio Antonio Mella and other student leaders gave their speeches there; the Centenary Generation descended through it in their historic Torchlight March and it was the scene of relevant moments in the life of the country. It consists of 17 faculties and 15 research centers in various fields. It has graduated important figures of our history in different stages. Photo: University of Havana Site

NUESTRA HABANA 21 It has been known as Higher Polytechnic UNIVERSIDAD Institute José Antonio Echeverría and University City José Antonio Echeverría (CUJAE), has its antecedents in the former School of Engineers, TECNOLÓGICA Electricians and Architects of the University of Havana, created on June 30, 1900. On November 18, 1961, the Faculty of Technology of the University de La Habana of Havana was founded.

In September 1960, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro announced the construction of a university city to be named José Antonio Echeverría. On March 13th, 1961, in homage to the fourth anniversary of the assault on the Presidential Palace and the taking of Radio Reloj, construction work officially began.

On December 2nd, 1964, the university was inaugurated, and currently has seven faculties, where thirteen careers are studied, and 10 research centers.

Photos: Radio Reloj (photo above) y UJC Site (photo below)

NUESTRA HABANA 22 CRISTO de Barrio CHINO

La Habana Havana’s Chinatown is located a few The colossal statue of Christ is located at meters away from the Capitol. Most of its the entrance of the port of Havana, between buildings have a high patrimonial, urban the fortress of San Carlos de la Cabaña and and environmental value. the town of Casablanca. Its author was the Cuban sculptor Jilma Madera. It has a height The reason of the Neighborhood was the of twenty meters on the base of three meters Zanja and Dragones streets, where most of and is made of white Carrara marble. It was the societies are located. From the beginning, sculpted in Italy, the assembly began in early small commercial establishments such as September 1958 and was inaugurated on inns, laundries, wine cellars, pharmacies with December 25th of that year. products from traditional Chinese medicine, silk stores, restaurants, newspapers, theaters, It is said that the author buried at the base as well as educational and recreational of the monument various objects of the time, societies were established. The most important such as newspapers and coins, and that the theater was the Golden Eagle, its actors had sculpture left her eyes empty, so that she knowledge of singing, acrobatics, pantomime, gave the impression of looking at everyone acting and martial arts. from everywhere. This icon of the city was struck by three lightning bolts which caused It celebrated the beginning of the Lunar it to be affected, so after some repairs it was New Year and other significant dates. To necessary to rebuild it. The team in charge celebrate 500 years, the neighborhood was of this task was awarded the National revived with the rescue of millenary Chinese Restoration Prize in 2013. On November 6, traditions, among them culinary 2017 it was declared a National Monument. art, ceramics, decoration and installations.

Photos: Cubahora and Cuba Sí

NUESTRA HABANA 23 EL LATINO The Latin American Stadium, known as El Coloso del Cerro or El Latino, is the home of Cuba’s Industrial team and the National Baseball Commission. Located in the Cerro, it has a capacity for 55,000 spectators and is one of the most important stadiums in the country. It was inaugurated in 1946 as Estadio del Cerro, with a game between the Almendares and Cienfuegos teams. It has undergone several Photo: José R. Rodríguez Robleda renovations. Acueducto ALBEAR It is one of the seven wonders of Cuban civil engineering and a National Monument. The Albear Aqueduct is one of the most outstanding works of its time on a worldwide scale. It was inaugurated on January 23, 1893, named after its architect Francisco de Albear. The work received the Gold Medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1878, where it was considered a masterpiece of 19th century engineering. It is composed of canals, dams and other elements, which continue to supply water to Havana. Photo: Canal Caribe

NUESTRA HABANA 24 Heladería COPPELIA It is a symbol of Havana is this open-air ice-cream parlor, surrounded by trees, on central 23rd Street in the La Rampa area. The spider- shaped reinforced concrete building, also known as the Ice Cream Cathedral, was inaugurated on June 4, 1966. Its architect was Mario Girona, with the collaboration of Rita María Grau and Candelario Ajuria. Photo: Radio Reloj

This dance complex in Havana has rooms that date from 1904 and they are named: Jardines Ensueño, La Cúpula, Templo Indio and Mamoncillo. In it, architectural elements converge with nature, making it a special de LA space. It is known as the thermometer of TROPICAL popular dance music in Cuba.

Photo: Gabriel Dávalos

NUESTRA HABANA 25 “Today, my Havana wears the best and most coquettish things, it opens its doors and windows.” José Antonio Quesada, Song: Today my Havana

Photo: Adrián Lago del Valle Attorney General’s Office of the Republic

NUESTRA HABANA Havana, MARVELOUS City

avana is wonderful, but not only is it world. At the entrance of the bay, on the considered so by Cubans, on December esplanade of the San Salvador de La Punta H7, 2014 it was recognized in the same Castle, a World Heritage monument, is way by the world, being one of the winners the monument with the commemorative of the New7Wonders Cities Contest, after plaque that endorses the recognition being chosen by millions of inhabitants of granted. the world, among more than 1,200 candidates from 220 countries. The Cuban capital was It was selected because of its mythical accompanied by Beirut (Lebanon), Doha appeal, the warmth of its atmosphere, (Qatar), Durban (South Africa), Kuala Lumpur the charisma and joviality of its (Malaysia), La Paz (Bolivia) and Vigan inhabitants, and its beautiful places, (Philippines). which combine history and modernity. Preserving this wonderful city of 501 On June 7, 2016, it was officially granted years is the responsibility of all of us its status as the Wonder City of the modern who live or go there.

Photos: Havana Government Site (above) y Eusebio Leal Site (below)

NUESTRA HABANA 27 Attorney General’s Office of the Republic of Cuba NUESTRA HABANA 28 Photo: Carlos Pujol Santana Provincial Attorney’s Office of Havana Photo: Adrián Lago del Valle Attorney General’s Office of the Republic

NUESTRA HABANA 29 For Havana, THE BIGGEST

Photo: Adrián Lago del Valle Attorney General’s Office of the Republic

With information from: Ecured, Canal Caribe, Radio Reloj, Radio Habana Cuba, Eusebio Leal Site, Havana, historical notes (Volume III), by the city historian Emilio Roig de Leuchsenring, Cuba- debate, Havana Government Site, National Center of Cultural Heritage, Cubahora and Cuba Sí. WRITING AND DESIGN: Jessica Rivero Rodríguez EDITION: Juan Carlos Santos Sánchez y María Guadalupe Rouco Núñez (Editorial Boloña)

TRANSLATION: Grisel Montalvo Pérez ADRESS: 34th street, number 1801, corner with 5th avenue, Miramar, Playa, La Habana, Cuba. CP. 11300 RNPS: 0653 ISSN: 1819-6543 TELEPHONE: (537) 206 1036 Consult or download at: www.fgr.gob.cu E-MAIL: [email protected] (Spanish version available) NUESTRA HABANA