Welcome

Life in Havana

About Havana

Life in Cuba

About Cuba

Cuba Culture

Cuba Info

Havana Updates

Havana History

Havana history:
The conquistador Diego Velazquez founded Havana in 1515. The city's location at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico , led to Havana's development as the main port of Spain's new colonies. Finaly the city was founded near EL TEMPLETE , a church built in 1828, where the first town council happend under a ceiba tree. Havana was originally a trading port for gold, silver and spices , the city suffered from many attacks by the buccaneers, to defend the city the Spaniards built several fortresses. In the 17th century Havana had a great expansion and the erection of several constructions such as the convent of St Augustin and the castle of El Morro.

Followed several years of war between Britain and Spain , and finally Britain accepted Florida in exchange for Cuba. In the early 19th century Havana became a wealthy and fashionable city, known as the Paris of Latin America. The city expanded and at the end of the century the new districts Vedado and later Miramar were built. When the US warship Maine was sunk in 1898 the US invaded Cuba. Under the US occupation , luxury hotels, casinos and nightclubs were constructed. Havana became the home town of the mafia , with people like Meyer Lansky, Lucky Luciano and Santos Trafficante.

Followed the Cuban revolution led by Fidel Castro. The new Cuban Government nationalized all private and business properties and declared Cuba a one party communist state. Subsidized by the former Soviet Union the Cubans lived prosperous, but when the former Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Cuba lost sudenly all of the subsidies and a period of survival , called the the "special period" began. To cope with the crisis , the Cuban Goverment developed the tourism industry on the island. More about Havana history