What Havana looked like 100 years ago

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Obrapia Street, 1900.

Zulueta Avenue, 1900.

Stalls of traders at the Tokon market.

The meat cart, 1903.

Residential buildings on Paseo del Prada, 1903.

1900.

An ice cream vendor.

Fruit vendors at the market, 1890.

Plaza de Luz, 1900.

The coconut merchant's cart, 1890.

Tokon Market, 1904.

Jai-alai hall, 1904.

Newspaper merchant and soldiers on the square, 1900.

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

Square at the customs house, 1900.

1904.

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

1900.

1904.

Obispo Street, 1906.