Foundation of Havana Day commemorates November 16, 1519, when the historic Cuban capital city of San Cristóbal de La Habana was established on its current bay location, celebrated annually with beloved civic rituals in Old Havana (La Habana Vieja).
Following initial temporary settlements on the southern coast of Cuba in 1514, Spanish conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar officially established the permanent city of San Cristóbal de La Habana on the shores of Havana Bay on November 16, 1519. The city's magnificent natural harbor and strategic position at the entrance of the Gulf of Mexico made it the maritime nexus of the Spanish Empire in the Americas, where treasure fleets (Flota de Indias) assembled before crossing the Atlantic. On the eve of November 16 every year, thousands of Habaneros and international visitors gather at El Templete in the historic Plaza de Armas for a revered five-century-old tradition: circling the sacred ceiba tree three times in silence, dropping a coin into its roots, and making a secret wish for health, love, and prosperity in the coming year.
