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Published: Monday, 22 July 2019 07:40

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Photo: PLUnited Nations, July 22.- The exhibition Havana 500 Real y Maravillosa, organized by the Cuban mission to the UN, will open today at the headquarters of the multilateral organization, in New York, to show iconic places of that Caribbean city.

Havana, whose historic center is one of the best preserved in Latin America and the Caribbean, will arrive on November 16 at the 500th anniversary of its foundation.

Therefore, the Cuban mission organized this exhibition, a tribute to the capital of the island, proclaimed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and also declared one of the Seven Wonders of the World Cities.

The Villa de San Cristóbal de La Habana -founded in the name of the Kings of Spain- was born on November 16, 1519 and found a definitive seat next to a bay of a stock market very convenient for port activity.

Havana emerged very close to the sea and that coastal destination marked its expansion throughout the area that now occupies the famous Malecón.

According to historians, Havana quickly became the safest port in the Caribbean and in the seventeenth century it had the most famous shipyard in the so-called New World.

At present, these old buildings where warehouses and customs offices used to reside have new cultural functions, in addition to a remodeled infrastructure.

According to historical records, the Villa de San Cristóbal de La Habana acquired its name as a Catholic saint and the Aboriginal chief Habaguanex, a primitive inhabitant of the area and today, the name of one of the main companies in the area.

For several years, the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana has promoted different programs in order to preserve the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the area, especially its rich and varied colonial architecture.

On the occasion of the 500th anniversary, these tasks intensified and a broader government program began, aimed at improving the constructive state of the entire Cuban capital.

That campaign will extend beyond November 16, when Havana reaches its first 500 years of existence. (PL)