The massive Monumento José Martí on the south side of the Plaza de la Revolución sits atop a 30-meter-tall base that is shaped as a five-pointed star. It is made entirely of gray granite and marble and was designed by architect Enrique Luis Varela. Completed in 1958, it predates the Revolution. To each side, arching stairways lead to an 18-meter-tall (59-foot) gray-white marble statue of national hero José Martí sitting in a contemplative pose, like Rodin’s The Thinker.

Behind looms a 109-meter-tall marble edifice stepped like a soaring ziggurat from a sci-fi movie. It’s the highest point in Havana. The edifice houses the Museo José Martí (tel. 07/859-2351, Mon.–Sat. 9 a.m.–5 p.m., entrance CUC3, cameras CUC5, videos CUC10). Among the exhibits are first-edition works, engravings, drawings, maps, and artifacts relating to Martí’s life.

New Age music plays in the background, drawing you to a multiscreen broadcast on the Wars of Independence and the Revolution. An art gallery features portraits of Martí. For an additional CUC2 an elevator whisks you to the top of the tower for a 360-degree view over Havana.