Casa de Don Diego Velázquez

On the park’s west side is the former home of Cuba’s first colonizer. It dates from 1516 and is supposedly the oldest house in Cuba. The somber Spanish mansion is fronted by dark wooden Moorish window grills and shutters. Velázquez lived upstairs. A gold foundry was maintained downstairs (it is still there, in the rear). The house today contains the Museo de Ambiente Histórico Cubano (Felix Peña #602, tel. 022/65-2652; Mon.–Thurs. and Sat. 9 a.m.–12:45 p.m. and 2–4:45 p.m., Fri. 2–4:45 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.–12:45 p.m.; entrance CUC2, cameras CUC1, videos CUC5), with separate rooms full of period furniture, tapestries, crystal ware, and artwork. Magnificent!