Plaza Vieja, Havana Tank Top

San Cristobal Church. The plaza was originally called Plaza Nueva (New Square). It emerged as an open space in 1559, after the Plaza de Armas and San Francisco. In colonial times it was a residential neighborhood of the Criollo plutocracy. Plaza Vieja was the site of executions, processions, bullfights, and fiestas - all witnessed by Havana's wealthiest citizens, who looked on from their balconies. The urban architectural complex of Plaza Vieja is represented by valuable colonial buildings from the 17th,18th and 19th and some examples of the early twentieth century.