page_title: Havana
section_title: 17th century
hierarchical_section_title: Havana / History / Colonial period / 17th century
caption_attribution_description: English: 17th century depiction of Havana. Place of manufacture: Amsterdam.
context_page_description: Havana is the capital city, largest city, province, major port, and leading commercial center of Cuba. The city has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of 781.58 km² – making it the largest city by area, the most populous city, and the fourth largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean region.
  The city of Havana was founded by the Spanish in the 16th century and due to its strategic location it served as a springboard for the Spanish conquest of the Americas, becoming a stopping point for treasure-laden Spanish galleons returning to Spain. The King Philip II of Spain granted Havana the title of City in 1592. Walls as well as forts were built to protect the old city. The sinking of the U.S. battleship Maine in Havana's harbor in 1898 was the immediate cause of the Spanish–American War.
  The city is the center of the Cuban government, and home to various ministries, headquarters of businesses and over 100 diplomatic offices. The governor is Reinaldo García Zapata of the Communist Party of Cuba. In 2009, the city/province had the third highest income in the country.
context_section_description: Havana expanded greatly in the 17th century. New buildings were constructed from the most abundant materials of the island, mainly wood, combining various Iberian architectural styles, as well as borrowing profusely from Canarian characteristics.
  In 1649, an epidemic of the often fatal Yellow fever brought from Cartagena in Colombia affected a third of the European population of Havana.
caption: 17th-century depiction of Havana from the Beudeker Collection
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