| Most likely named after Taíno chief | | | | Havana their home and, despite a very brief British |
| Habaguanex, the area that we now call Havana was | | | | invasion in 1762, the island remained under Spanish |
| founded in the early 16th century by the Spanish | | | | control and the capital came to be regarded as the |
| conquistador Diego Velázquez de | | | | most lavish and fortified city in the Americas. |
| Cuéllar. The bay upon which the city is based | | | | The 'Paris of the Antilles' |
| was and is regarded as one of the finest in the world | | | | The cultural boom of the 19th century was so |
| and led to a number of relocations in the early years | | | | pronounced that Havana earned the nickname of the |
| of the settlement. Finding the final site superbly | | | | 'Paris of the Antilles'. Theatres and lavish mansions |
| placed to access the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf | | | | were constructed throughout the city, sugar |
| Stream, the city grew swiftly to become the centre | | | | production netted huge revenues country-wide and, |
| of Spanish activity in both the Caribbean and the | | | | with the opening of a line between Havana and |
| Americas in general. An example of this being the | | | | Bejucal, Cuba became the 5th country in the world to |
| conquest of Mexico, which was launched from Cuba | | | | employ a rail system. |
| in 1519 and headed by Hernán Cortés. | | | | From Spanish to American to Cuban |
| Troubled Beginnings | | | | The end of the 19th century marked the withdrawal |
| Modern Havana, with its weathered architecture and | | | | of the Spanish from Cuba and instead Havana and |
| old-world charms bears little resemblance to the | | | | the rest of the island came under the influence of |
| situation in 16th century Cuba. Holidays here are | | | | the USA. With a slew of casinos, hotels and |
| undertaken for the peacefulness and charm of the | | | | nightclubs built across the city, Havana earned a new |
| island's people. However, soon after its founding the | | | | reputation as an exotic playground for the appetites |
| city was regularly attacked by pirates, and in 1555 | | | | of the rich and notorious. Many of the highly |
| razed to the ground by a French Corsair. With piracy | | | | romanticized tales of Havana were formed in this |
| a growing problem for the settlement on the land | | | | period and far from seeking grandeur and |
| and upon the waves, the Spanish eventually decided | | | | sophistication from Cuba, holidays to the island |
| that ships returning to Europe must travel in a fleet, | | | | became synonymous with indulgence and iniquity. |
| thus ensuring safety in numbers. | | | | With the gap widening between the rich and poor, |
| Growth and Development | | | | Cuban society became more and more unstable. This |
| Once secured against piracy the city began to | | | | culminated in the revolution of 1959 which replaced |
| flourish, and in 1592 was officially given the title of | | | | the militarist regime with a planned socialist system. |
| 'City' by King Philip II. Many of the churches, | | | | From this point onwards the story of Havana leaves |
| monuments and defensive structures that one can | | | | the realm of history and becomes an issue of |
| see on modern Cuban holidays were built in the | | | | modern politics. |
| boom that followed this period; including the fortress | | | | Havana herself displays many relics and monuments |
| of "San Salvador de la Punta" and the Castillos of "los | | | | to the various stages of her history. Make sure to |
| Tres Reyes Magos del Morro" and "la real Fuerza". By | | | | walk her streets and drink in the flavours of her past |
| the 18th century, more than 70,000 people called | | | | on your next Cuban holiday. |