History Mural

General sightseeing
Admission: Free
Mercaderes e/ Tacón y O’Reilly
  • This approx 300m2 mosaic mural on Mercaderes Street right across the Marqués de Arcos mansion is made up of 52 panels that depict 67 outstanding figures in the history and the arts in Cuba. The artist of the mural, Andrés Carrillo, used a novel material in Cuba that includes natural rock soaked in acrylic resin to make the small tiles. From four basic colors (brown, coral rose, black and beige), he obtained 13 shades. Many people participated in this work of art, including architect Jaime Rodríguez, sculptor Nicolás Ramos Guiardinú and students from the San Alejandro Art Academy.

    
  • Palacio Cueto

    Palacio Cueto  LH 4

    Rising over the plaza off the southeast corner is Palacio Cueto. Built in 1906 with an elaborately adorned façade featuring griffins, satyrs and other mythical figures, it’s reminiscent of the moderni …

    Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales

    Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales  LH 4

    Tucked into the northwest corner of the plaza, the relatively austere gallery occupies three levels of a partially restored 18th-century townhouse mansion. It holds temporary exhibitions of both renow …

    Manzana de Gómez

    Manzana de Gómez  LH 4

    Owned by Julián de Zulueta, construction work began in 1890 according to the project designed by architect Pedro Tomé Veracruisse; however, still unfinished, it was sold to Andrés Gómez Mena, who comp …

    Convento y Capilla de la Inmaculada Concepción

    Convento y Capilla de la Inmaculada Concepción  LH 4

    This beautiful church and convent was built in Neo=\-Gothic style in 1874 and was a private girls’ school until 1961. The patio and chapel have beautiful wooden ceilings, notable stained-glass windows …

    Plaza de la Revolución

    Plaza de la Revolución  LH 4

    The idea of building this square emerged in the 1940s, when an international contest was organized to erect a monument to honor José Martí, Cuba’s National Hero. In 1943 the project was finally approv …

    Teatro América

    Teatro América  LH 4

    The América Theatre is one of the most interesting architectural works in Havana. It first opened on March 29, 1941 and is part of a large building complex located on one of Central Havana’s main comm …

    Palacio del Conde Lombillo

    Palacio del Conde Lombillo  LH 4

    Located on the north-east corner of the Plaza de la Catedral, this mid18th-century building is unusual in having three façades: the main one on Empedrado and the other two facing Mercaderes and the sq …

    Sloppy Joe’s Bar

    Sloppy Joe’s Bar  LH 5-

    6pm is Sloppy Joe cocktail hour again at the original Sloppy Joe’s saloon, an iconic Cuban bar that reopened Friday April 12, 2013 after a nearly 50-year break in its original location. The restoratio …

    Fototeca de Cuba

    Fototeca de Cuba  LH 4

      Inaugurated in 1986 to preserve, study and promote Cuba’s photographic heritage, Fototeca de Cuba, mid-way along the east side of the plaza, boasts the nation’s largest, most valuable collectio …

    Plaza del Cristo

    Plaza del Cristo  LH 4

    The mid-17-century plaza takes its name from the Iglesia del Santo Cristo del Buen Viaje. It was first known as Plaza Nueva taking the name of what is now known as Plaza Vieja. For a while it was know …

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