Universidad de la Habana

Founded by Dominican monks in 1728 and secularized in 1842, Habana University began life in Habana Vieja before moving to its present site in 1902. The existing neoclassical complex dates from the second quarter of the 20th century, and today some 30,000 students (2000 of them foreigners), taught by 1700 professors, follow courses in the social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, mathematics and economics here. Perched on a hill at the top of the famous stairway, the university’s central quadrangle, the Plaza Ignacio Agramonte, displays a tank captured by Castro’s rebels in 1958. Directly in front is the biblioteca (library) and to the left the Edificio Felipe Poey, with two unusual museums. The Museo de Historia Natural, downstairs, is Cuba’s oldest museum, founded in 1874 by the Academia de Ciencias Médicas, Físicas y Naturales. Many of the stuffed specimens of Cuban flora and fauna date from the 19th century. Upstairs is the Museo Antropológico Montané, established in 1903, with a rich collection of pre-Columbian artifacts. The most important objects are the wooden 10th-century Ídolo del Tobaco, discovered in Guantánamo province, and the stone Ídolo de Bayamo. The exhibits are color coded to indicate the three periods of Indo-American civilization in Cuba: Pre-Ceramic (red), Proto-Ceramic (green) and Ceramic (yellow).