Over the course of the 1990s, renewal converted the outer ring of Old Havana into a tourist sector.  As restoration proceeds, more and more tourists staying in luxury hotels in the core of Old Havana open their guidebooks and strike out on independent walking tours. (More on these in coming weeks.)

Heritage travelers are seduced by a desire to peek at Havana’s oldest surviving church, the Iglesia Parroquial del Espiritu Santo. They might also express curiosity regarding the Afro Cuban connections associated with the Iglesia y Convento de Nuestra Senora de la Merced.

Some blocks later, visitors will glimpse the large warehouse full of alcohol and other hospitality needs which is close to the Iglesia y Convento de Santa Clara. This location now houses the National Center for Preservation, Restoration, and Museology — CENCREM — the technical team in charge of the restoration of colonial Havana.

As walkers move closer to the waterfront, the truly observant will peer behind a facade hiding the old neighborhood boxing ring; sports minded or resourceful travelers will go inside to view a match. Most, however, will miss two new gymnasiums — one where school children practice tai chi and a second where women take aerobics.

In the city of Havana, the core area the tourists have just traverse has long played a commanding role. Old Havana was the center of the city in colonial times, and it still houses the maor port. Since 1990 and Cuba’s abandonment by the Soviet Union, it has been the focal point of Havana’s economic recovery, attracting the throngs of foreign visitors needed to keep the island in hard currency.  Moreover, its neighborhoods are bellwethers, representative of the transformation which is occurring in Cuba as a whole.

The video below showcases one of Havana’s architectural jewels now undergoing reconstruction. It highlights the multicolored fanlike windows called media punto. These windows were made famous by the Cuban Vanguardia artist Amelia Pelaez.

If, after watching the video, you’d like to learn more about architecture and neighborhood restoration in Cuba, I highly recommended Cuartilla Informativa, a publication spearheaded by my friend Manolo Sanchez. He does an amazing job! Contact lisa@theheritagetraveler.com for more information.

Post written by Lisa Reynolds Wolfe.

Photograph by Lisa Reynolds Wolfe.

Video and Cuartilla Informativa courtesy of Manolo Sanchez.