TRAVEL

It is said that you could

spend years in Havana and still not see it all.

Cuba’s capitol, Havana has an interesting history that started as a small trading outpost, then in the 1930s grew into a luxurious city considered to be the Las Vegas of the Latin world, and now seems to be stuck in time after the 1959 Cuban revolution, heavily influenced by Communist policies and the previous restriction of foreign trade. Now open to American tourists, there are many sites to see and experience.

Havana’s most famous landmark is the Capitolio Nacional, built in the 1920s with architecture based on Washington DC’s capitol building. In the 1960s it became the headquarters of the Cuban Academy of Sciences and Technology as well as the National Science Library.

Havana is also known for its squares, each with important points of interest such as cathedrals and historical monuments. The largest Plaza de la Revolución is the current center location of the Cuban government, and holds monuments to key revolutionaries, including a large mural of Che Guevara and a nearby memorial to José Martí, a major symbol of Cuban independence from Spain.

After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the arts became state-sponsored, allowing more people to gain education and practice art, but also resulted in a bit of artistic censorship. Many artists left Cuba during this time, but beginning in the 1980s, the artistic culture began to shift once again in support of freedom of expression. The Museo Nacional De Bellas Artes is dedicated

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OFF THE EASEL MAGAZINE – WINTER 2016