Page 65 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Cuba

HA V ANA A T A GLANCE  63

On stormy days the
waves break against
the rocks and crash
over the sea wall onto
the street. Children love
it when this happens.
Storms are also a
source of inspiration for
followers of Santería,
who view it as the
wrath of Yemayá, the
sea goddess (see p27).

Fishing on the Malecón is a
popular pastime among the
locals. Others are playing
music, strolling, or simply
sitting on the low wall
and watching the horizon.

Atmosphere
The Havana seafront
is especially magical at
sunset, when the colours of
the buildings are accentuated.
The Malecón is at its busiest on
Sundays, when the Habaneros
who cannot get to the Playas
del Este flock here.
Young people love to walk
along the Malecón, which is
lined with 19th- and early
20th-century buildings.
The striking setting of the Malecón,
facing the sea and with the city behind it,
makes it a popular place for romantic
young couples. There is also the occasional
single person on the lookout for female
or male companionship.
A Walk by the Ocean: The History of the Malecón
On 4 November 1901, the US authorities then a municipal bandstand. Hotels and cafés were
occupying Cuba planned the Malecón as a tree- built near the old city, while bathing facilities
lined, pedestrian promenade to begin at the were concentrated in Miramar. In 1919 the
Castillo de la Punta. However the strong wind Malecón stretched as far as Calle Belascoaín,
and rough sea obliged the and in 1921 as far as
engineers to change their Calle 23. It soon became
original project and it was a fast link between the
an American engineer old and modern cities – so
named Mead, and much so that in the 1950s
Frenchman Jean Forestier, it was virtually abandoned
who came up with a more by pedestrians. Today,
practical plan. In 1902 the despite the traffic, its
open space in front of the original function has
Prado was completed with The Malecón in the early 1900s been partly revived.

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