Slide 1

PowerPoint Show by Andrew Turn on Speakers

These photos of the Cuban capital city capture it around the time of its independence from Spain, showcasing its centuries of Colonial, Baroque and Neoclassical architecture.Founded in the early 16th century by Spanish colonists, the protected port of Havana became a major stopping point for shipping between the Americas and Europe, as well as one of the most fortified cities in the New World.

Following decades of Cuban agitation for independence and tensions between the United States and Spain, the mysterious 1898 explosion of the U.S. warship Maine in Havana Harbor led to the Spanish-American War, which ended in Spanish defeat. Cuba gained independence from the Spanish government, but remained firmly within the American sphere of influence.

1890 - An ice cream vendor.

1890 - Fruit wagons unload outside a market.

1890- A coconut merchant's wagon.

1890 - Crowds on the Malecn.

1899

1900 - The Cathedral of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception and the Plaza de la Catedral.

1900 - The Paseo del Prado.

1900 - The Plaza del Catedral.

1900 - Central Park and the Gran Hotel Inglaterra.

1900 - Obrapia Street.

1900 - Avenida Zulueta.

1900

1900 - The Plaza de Luz.

1900 - A newsboy and soldiers in a plaza.

1900 - The wreck of the U.S.S. Maine, which exploded and sank mysteriously on February 15, 1898.

1900 - Custom House Plaza.

1900 -A view from O'Reilly Street, looking down San Ignacio Street toward the Cathedral.

1900

1900 - A view looking north down the Paseo del Prado.

1903 - A meat wagon.

1903 -An avenue of palms on the outskirts of Havana..

1903 - Residences on Paseo del Prado.

1904 - Vendors' stalls in the Mercado Tocon.

1904 - The Mercado Tocon.

1904 - A horse-drawn cab.

1904

1904 -A street corner merchant.

1906 - Obispo Street.