Plaza de la Catedral is the most beautiful square in Havana — an asymmetric cobblestoned plaza dominated by the Baroque facade of the Cathedral of San Cristóbal (completed in 1777, with one tower deliberately wider than the other to allow rainwater to drain — a practical asymmetry that has become the building's most distinctive feature). The plaza is surrounded by 18th-century palaces that now house museums, restaurants, and the Centro Wilfredo Lam contemporary art gallery.
The cathedral, built by the Jesuits (who were expelled from Cuba before they could finish it, leaving the facade incomplete in a way that adds character), claimed to house the remains of Christopher Columbus until they were transferred to Seville in 1898. The interior is simple by Baroque standards — whitewashed walls with minimal decoration — reflecting the relative austerity of Cuban colonial Catholicism compared to the extravagance of Mexico or Peru.
The Bodeguita del Medio, a tiny bar on a side street adjacent to the plaza, claims to be the birthplace of the mojito and displays a sign attributed to Hemingway: 'My mojito in La Bodeguita, my daiquiri in El Floridita.' Whether Hemingway actually wrote it (historians are sceptical) is less important than the tradition it has sustained — the bar has been serving mojitos to tourists and Habaneros in a space the size of a corridor since the 1940s.
Verified Facts
The Cathedral of San Cristóbal was completed in 1777
The cathedral's towers are deliberately asymmetrical for drainage
The Bodeguita del Medio claims to be the birthplace of the mojito
The cathedral was built by the Jesuits
Get walking directions
Cathedral Square, La Habana Vieja, Havana, Cuba
