El Vedado: Capital of the Capital

Wednesday, 17 August 2011 15:46 Written by L.Calvo

El Vedado: Capital of the Capital

Many visitors currently stay in the Havana sector of Vedado, either in magnificent hotels such as the Melía Cohiba or the Nacional, or in comfortable private houses, officially authorized for tourism.

But, a few centuries ago, it was a different story, as it was a wooded area, thick, rugged and difficult to monitor and control, circumstances that corsairs or pirates took advantage of more than once, in order to access the city with relative ease and virtually no resistance. So, the Havana Council agreed on 10 December, 1565, to strictly prohibit the passage, blocking the paths and trails crossing over this vast area; offenders were subject to severe punishments, ranging from a 50 pesos fine, to one hundred lashes, or "weakening a foot" (incapacitating someone by cutting the tendons of one foot).

This explains its name, a prohibited area, "vedado," "forbidden."

Its development as a residential area especially began with the end of Spanish colonial rule in 1898, and with the Malecón´s construction in the beginning of the twentieth century, by occupying U.S. authorities; also, with the San Lázaro quarries, there was an excellent source of materials. The result was a massive influx in the northern capital, rapid urbanization, which brought the construction of buildings, passages and parks, an electric tram network in Havana and new building technologies, all of which were factors boosting the growth of the city´s peripheral areas such as Miramar, Marianao and what is now Vedado.

Rightly so, Vedado is called the "Capital of the Capital," as nearly all ministries and State agencies, more than one hundred companies, the Universidad de La Habana and a lot of hospitals are located in this area, as well as innumerable cultural and sport institutions, nightclubs, galleries and museums. Since 31 October, 1976, this region was officially named the "Plaza de la Revolución," but I tell you friends, it is very weird to hear a Havanian say, "I´m going to have some drinks in Plaza de la Revolución." That would result somewhat incongruous, making it a place of political events and rallies, don´t you think?

For that, we will forever continue to refer to it as Vedado with pride, which is not forbidden to anyone, neither locals nor visitors.

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