What Havana looked like 100 years ago

Categories: History | North America |

These pictures of Havana, taken in the early years of Cuba's independence from Spain, show us the richness of the architecture of the Cuban capital.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago
What Havana looked like 100 years ago

Founded at the beginning of the XVI century by Spanish colonists, Havana has become not only the main stopping point for ships traveling from America to Europe and back, but also one of the most fortified cities in the New World. In the photo: Havana Cathedral, 1900.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

The explosion of the American cruiser "Maine" in the Bay of Havana, which followed decades of Cuban struggle for independence and tension in American-Spanish relations, eventually served as the reason for the outbreak of the Spanish-American War of 1898, in which the Spaniards were defeated. Cuba then gained independence from Spain, but fell into the clutches of the American zone of influence. Pictured: Paseo del Prado, 1900.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

After loopholes in legislation were found that could be used to appease the anti-imperialists, representatives of American business invested huge amounts of money in the Cuban economy, and in the first decades of the twentieth century, trade between the two countries grew rapidly. In the photo: Plaza de la Catedral, 1900.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

With the end of the American occupation in 1902, a period of steady growth came for Havana, which was associated with the flourishing of the middle class and a lot of tourists wandering the streets of "Caribbean Rome". In the photo: Central Park and the hotel "Inglaterra", 1900.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

Obrapia Street, 1900.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

Zulueta Avenue, 1900.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

Stalls of traders at the Tokon market.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

The meat cart, 1903.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

Residential buildings on Paseo del Prada, 1903.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

1900.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

An ice cream vendor.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

Fruit vendors at the market, 1890.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

Plaza de Luz, 1900.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

The coconut merchant's cart, 1890.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

Tokon Market, 1904.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

Jai-alai hall, 1904.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

Newspaper merchant and soldiers on the square, 1900.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

The wreckage of the American cruiser "Maine", which exploded in the Bay of Havana on February 15, 1898.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

Square at the customs house, 1900.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

1904.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

View from O'Reilly Street to Havana Cathedral, 1900.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

1900.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

1904.

What Havana looked like 100 years ago

Obispo Street, 1906.

Keywords: Vintage | Havana | Cuba | Past | Retro | Black and white photography

     

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