In Old Havana there is a place that
was used in the XVIII century for military exercises, and received the name of Martes on
behalf of the God of War. It was where famous Cuban actor Francisco Covarrubias debuted in
1800 in a tent called The Circus, and where was inaugurated one of the five bull rings of
Havana in 1825. From this place Portuguese Matias Perez departed on June 9th, 1856 with
his aerostatics balloon named "La Villa de Paris". This place is known today as
PARK OF THE AMERICAN FRATERNITY, inaugurated on February 24th, 1928 on the occasion of the
Sixth Pan-American Conference. In the middle a Ceiba tree was planted with land of the
then 12 nations of the continent.
It is in Santiago de Las Vegas
where the Mothers’ Day was celebrated for the first time in Cuba, on May 10th of
1920, by initiative of illustrious Mr. Francisco Montoto. The celebration was held at
Santiago de Las Vegas theater and although it was improvised, it had a great success.
Among the organizers participated prestigious figures of Santiago community, such as,
Francisco Montoto, Teodoro Cabrera, Mario Figueredo, Pedro Maria Aguiar, Gabriel Gabriel,
and Francisco Simon (Panchito). The following year it was celebrated again; there were
school parades; choruses sang, etc., this is why Culture holiday week is celebrated in
this date.
The name of Cotorro Municipality has its origin in
the disproportionate nose size of the Guard House owner, House that existed at the
beginning of the last century in this territory as part of the journey of Havana-Güines
royal road.
Havana’s Capitol was officially inaugurated on
May 20th, 1929. The construction works lasted 3 years and participated in the construction
over 8000 men.
In Cojimar Valley there are 288 varieties of plants,
37 are endemic of Cuba.
One of them is a small tree belonging to the
Piperaceae family in danger of extinction and that appears mentioned in the Red Book of
the International Union for the Conservation of Natural.
By popular saying it is known a legend that says
that San Francisco de Paula town was born with the arrival to Havana port of "San
Francisco de Paula" brigantine at the middle of July, 1794, after overcoming a big
storm.
One of the oldest streets of Havana. It is said that
it was called San Juan Street since leads to San Juan de Letran del Consulado Church,
because the Royal Consulate was placed there in its early times in 1794; and Bishop
because there lived in different epochs the Bishops Fray Jerónimo of Lara and Pedro
Agustín Morell of Santa Cruz.
In 1897 it was named Weyler, name of the despotic
governor of the Island at that time, but in 1898 Havana people pulled up and destroyed the
cards showing his name in that street. In 1905 the street received the name of Pi and
Margall in homage to the enthusiastic and constant defender of Cuban rights and liberties
in Spain.
In 1936, when the old, primitive and traditional
names of the city were instituted, the street received again its name of Bishop.
It became important after the apparition in one of
its blocks of the Arms Square and because of the construction, between it and
O’Reilly and Mercaderes streets, of the first major parochial church, and later the
Palace of the General Captains, as well as many and rich commercial places.
