The ''Plaza Vieja'' () is a plaza located in

Old Havana Old Havana () is the city-center (downtown) and one of the 15 municipalities (or boroughs) forming Havana, Cuba. It has the second highest population density in the city and contains the core of the original city of Havana. The positions of the ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. The plaza and its surroundings are also one of the seven ''

consejos populares In Cuba, a consejo popular (; ; sometimes shortened to CP) is an electoral ward or political-administrative demarcation of the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba. They were created in 1988. 474 wards had been created as of 2023, with th ...

'' (wards) of the municipality of Old Havana. It has a residential population of 17,426.

Overview

The plaza was originally called ''Plaza Nueva'' (New Square). It emerged as an open space in 1559, after the Plaza de Armas and San Francisco. In colonial times it was a residential neighborhood of the

Criollo Criollo or criolla (Spanish for creole) may refer to: People * Criollo people, a social class in the Spanish colonial system. Animals * Criollo duck, a species of duck native to Central and South America. * Criollo cattle, a group of cattle bre ...

plutocracy A plutocracy () or plutarchy is a society that is ruled or controlled by people of great wealth or income. The first known use of the term in English dates from 1631. Unlike most political systems, plutocracy is not rooted in any established ...

. Plaza Vieja was the site of executions, processions, bullfights, and '' fiestas'' - all witnessed by Havana's wealthiest citizens, who looked on from their balconies. The urban architectural complex of Plaza Vieja is represented by valuable colonial buildings from the XVII, XVIII and XIX and some examples of the early twentieth century.

History

Early history

Dominic Serres the Elder - The Piazza at Havana

The plaza emerged in 1559 and was originally called ''Plaza Nueva'' (New Square). It was built as a popular alternative to

Plaza de Armas ''Plaza de armas'' (pl. ; literally ''arms square'' or ''place-of-arms'') is a Spanish language, Spanish term commonly used to refer to town square, town squares in Latin America, Spain and the Philippines, as well as a name commonly given to th ...

, the military and government main center, the name changed when another important square emerged in town, the Plaza del Santo Cristo. In the eighteenth century the square was turned into a popular market, and was called ''Plaza del Mercado'' (Market Square) as Havana's commercial hub. In 1814 with the birth of the ''Mercado Nuevo'' (new market) in the Plaza del Cristo, the Old Square was renamed to differentiate it. The square has also been identified by other names such as Plaza Real, Mayor, Mercado, Fernando VII, Plaza of the Constitution, Park

Juan Bruno Zayas Juan Bruno Zayas Alfonso (June 8th, 1867 - July 30th, 1896) was a Cuban military leader and doctor of the Cuban War of Independence. Biography Early years and medical career Zayas was born on June 8, 1867, in Havana. His father, Dr. José Marí ...

and Park Julian Grimau. In 1851 members of the defeated

filibustering A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent a decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking ...

Lopez Expedition The Lopez Expedition (Spanish: Expedición López) of 1851 was an attempt led by Narciso López to invade and seize control of Cuba which was then part of the Spanish Empire. Wary that Spain's rule in Cuba was unsustainable, López sought to hav ...

were executed in the square.

20th century

The original Carrara marble fountain surrounded by four dolphins was demolished in the 1930s when President

Gerardo Machado Gerardo Machado y Morales (28 September 1869 – 29 March 1939) was a general of the Cuban War of Independence and President of Cuba from 1925 to 1933. Machado was elected president in 1924 as the leader of the Liberal Party, a moderate reform ...

(1871-1939) built an underground parking lot here. Since the early 1980s, once Old Havana was declared

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Unesco The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

, architects and restorers began a restoration project.

References

External links

{{Coord, 23, 8, 9.88, N, 82, 21, 0.22, W, scale:5000_region:CU, display=title Buildings and structures in Havana Wards of Havana Squares in Cuba Tourist attractions in Havana Streets in Havana