Page 30 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Cuba

28  INTRODUCING CUBA

Architecture in Cuba

Formal architecture in Cuba began in the colonial period.
For the entire 16th century all efforts were concentrated on
building an impressive network of fortresses; then came the
first stone-built mudéjar-style houses, which replaced
simple wooden dwellings with tiled roofs. The 18th century
was a golden age of civic architecture, characterized by the
Baroque style imported at a late stage from Europe, which
in turn made way for Neo-Classical buildings in the 19th The courtyard was a typical
century. The mixture of styles typical of the fin de siècle was feature of colonial architecture
followed, in 1900–30, by Art Deco, a forerunner of the 1950s and the centre of domestic life.
Above, the Conde de Jaruco’s
skyscrapers. Ugly prefabricated buildings characterize the Havana residence (p80).
post-1959 era, with some notable Brutalist exceptions.
The 17th Century
The tropical climate, with high temperatures and heavy rain,
influenced the local architecture. Many private homes had
thick walls, tiled roofs and windows protected by shutters.
Balconies with slender Sloping roof of
wooden columns terracotta tiles
A typical wooden ceiling at
Calle Tacón 4, in Havana

The house at Calle Obispo
117–19 (p76), with its characteristic
central courtyard and wooden balconies,
shows a clear Spanish influence in the
structure itself and in the building
techniques used.
The 18th Century
More rooms were added to houses with a central courtyard,
more houses were built, and some wonderful examples of
civic architecture were created. Three highlights of light
Cuban Baroque in Havana are the Palacio de los Capitanes
Generales (pp74–5), Palacio del Segundo Cabo (p70) and
Havana Cathedral (p68). Trinidad also has many 18th-century
colonial buildings.

The mezzanine, a structural element The arcade on the ground floor, Stained-glass windows
introduced in the 1700s which was the external equivalent of the
inner courtyard, was an 18th-century
innovation. As trade increased, mansions Arches supported by
like this housed growing numbers of columns and pilasters
servants, who lived in the lower distinguish 18th-century
Limestone façade part of the building. buildings.
Palacio de los
Capitanes Generales
is a typical Cuban
Baroque mansion,
with thick stone walls,
an abundance of arches,
columns, porticoes and
balconies, and a large
central courtyard with
dense vegetation.

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