Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta

The small, recently restored Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta (Av. Carlos M. de Céspedes, esq. Prado y Malecón, tel. 07/860-3196, Tues.–Sat. 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m., free) guards the entrance to Havana [1]’s harbor channel at the base of the Prado [2].

The fortress was initiated in 1589 directly across from the Morro castle [3] so that the two fortresses could catch invaders in a crossfire. A great chain was slung between them each night to secure Havana harbor. There are still a few cannons.

Gazing over the plaza on the west side of the castle is a life-size statue of Venezuelan general Francisco de Miranda Rodríguez (1750–1816), while 100 meters east of the castle is a statue of Pierre D’Iberville (1661–1706), a Canadian explorer who died in Havana.

The park immediately south of Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta is divided in two by Avenida de los Estudiantes.

Parque de los Enamorados

Parque de los Enamorados (Park of the Lovers), on the north side of Avenida de los Estudiantes, features a statue of an Indian couple, plus the Monumento de Estudiantes de Medicina, a small Grecian-style temple shading the remains of a wall used by Spanish-colonial firing squads. Here on November 27, 1871, eight medical students met their deaths after being falsely accused of desecrating the tomb of a prominent loyalist, Gonzalo Castañón.

A trial found them innocent, but enraged loyalist troops—the Spanish Volunteers—held their own trial and shot the students. The students are commemorated with a national holiday each November 27.

Parque de Mártires

Parque de Mártires (Martyrs’ Park), on the south side of Avenida de los Estudiantes, occupies the ground of the former Tacón prison, built in 1838. Nationalist hero José Martí was imprisoned here 1869–1870. The prison was demolished in 1939. Preserved are two of the punishment cells and the chapel used by condemned prisoners before being marched to the firing wall.