The Plaza Vieja An unavoidable space

Enclosed in the framework of Mercaderes, Muralla, Teniente Rey and San Ignacio streets lies the well known by Cubans Plaza Vieja or Old Square, a place of art and culture in Old Havana.

The Plaza Vieja was built in the 16th Century and was at once surrounded by the houses of wealthy traders wishing to take advantage of this new spaced out area, the third of its kind in Havana. Around it, commercial facilities established at street level and top floors of the houses were lived the 16th and 17th centuries nobility.

It had many names: Royal Square, Roque Gil Square, Main Square, Market Square, Constitution Square and others but, above all, for the people of Havana, the Old Square is a restored page in history, thanks to the Integral Development Program of the City Historian Office of Havana. The Square was the first attempt of planned urbanism in this part of the world and mixes different styles: Baroque, Neoclassic an also some Art Nouveau. Today, a photo