The most intimate of Old Havana’s main squares, this compact plaza was originally a swamp. The area was drained and laid out in the late seventeenth century. From lowly beginnings arose aristocratic mansions and the baroque splendour to the Havana cathedral. Today, troubadours roam the square while mulattas in traditional costume add colour to the sense of a temps perdu.

Dominating the plaza is Catedral San Cristobal, built between 1748 and 1777 and locally known as Catedral de la Habana. Dedicated to Christopher Columbus, the baroque cathedral once contained a casket thought to contain the bones of the explorer; they were returned to Spain in 1899.

The 1720 Casa del Conde de Casa Bayona, on the plaza’s south side, exemplifies the elegant symmetry of period architecture, with an inner patio surrounded by Tuscan pilasters. It holds the Museo de Arte Colonial, overflowing with antiquities.