Up until 1834 there were no prisons in Havana. Back then, prisoners were crammed together in a small area on the Palacio de Gobierno’s basement. With this in mind, Lieutenant General Miguel Tacón, Governor of Cuba, ordered the construction of a prison outside the city walls at the base of the Prado. José Martí was imprisoned here on April 4, 1870, accused of treason and bribery.
The prison was demolished in the 1930s, except for the chapel and, adjoining, two cells, one of which was the cell 17-year-old Martí occupied during his imprisonment. The remains stand on the romantically named Parque de los Enamorados (Lovers’ Park), in which there’s a powerful but deteriorating statue of an Indian couple.
Opening hours: 9am-2pm Tues-Sat; 9am-1pm Sun
Modern
