The Malecón is the avenue that runs along the seawall at the northern shore of Havana, from Old Havana to the Almendares River.

The reconstruction effort successfully transformed Old Havana into a tourist attraction, and also resulted in Leal becoming recognized as Old Havana's de facto Mayor. The Cuban State had undertaken enormous efforts to preserve and to restore Old Havana through the efforts of the Office of the Historian of the City, which was directed by Eusebio Leal. In her there are all the big ancient monuments, the forts, the convents and churches, the palaces, the alleys, the arcade, the human density. Alejo Carpentier called it 'de las columnas'(of the columns), but it could also be named for the gateways, the revoco, the deterioration and the rescue, the intimacy, the shade, the cool, the courtyards. Construction of Castillo de la Real Fuerza, the first fortress built, was begun in 1558, and was overseen by engineer Bartolomé Sanchez. After the incident, the Spanish brought soldiers into the city and built fortresses and walls to protect it. The pirate had taken Havana easily, overpowering the few defenders, plundering the city, and burning much of it to the ground, but he left without obtaining the enormous wealth that he had been hoping to find there.

In 1555, Old Havana was destroyed by the French corsair Jacques de Sores. It is the ancient city formed from the port, the official center and the Plaza de Armas. The narrow streets of Old Havana contain many buildings, accounting for perhaps as many as one-third of the approximately 3,000 buildings found in Old Havana. Many buildings have fallen into ruin in the latter half of the 20th century, but a number are being restored.

The city was built in baroque and neoclassical styles. In the 17th century, it was one of the main shipbuilding centers. It became a stopping point for the treasure laden Spanish galleons on the crossing between the New World and the Old World. Havana was founded by the Spanish Novemin the natural harbor of the Bay of Havana.

Old havana cuban