In the year of 1512 after two previous establishments, the villa of San Cristobal of Havana settles down of definitive way next to the port of Careenings. And thus, on 1519, it was founded officially on a place where, in agreement with the testimonies of the time, ceiba existed robust under which the first town hall of the City of Havana was celebrated. At the moment, the Templete is in this place, that was constructed in 1827 in recordación of this historical fact, and new ceiba, that comprises of the celebration that is place every year old there, the 16 of November.

Forty years later it was designated capital of Cuba. The continuous attacks of pirates and privateers to the coasts of Cuba forced Spain to establish the System of Fleets in which different ships coming from the ports from America met to travel prote'ge's to gold Spain loaded and silver. The port of Havana benefitted with the arrival of the fleet and a blossoming of its commerce took place.

In century XVIII an important event, the taking of Havana by the English in 1762 took place.

In spite of the multiple strengths constructed for the protection of the city, Havana was during eleven months in being able of the English. At the beginning of century XIX a independentista attempt, the Conspiracy of Rays took place and Suns of Bolivar. In the War of numerous Independence acts of revolt and rejection to the Spanish crown took place.

Havana, geographically distant of the scenes where the War got rid of the Ten Years, contributed like all the country, high quota in the fight by the national liberation. The execution of the Medicine students in 1871 illustrates, by itself, the violence reached about the colonial repression. Thus it would happen in ahead, from the days of the Very small War to the preparations of the rise of the 24 of February of 1895.

In the first decades of the mediatizada republic, the development of the labor movement and communist will crystallize in Havana, seat of the foundation of the First Marxist Party Leninista in 1925. To the development of the working class a vigorous democratic and antimperialista movement corresponded parallelly that grouped the revolutionary intellectuality. Several decades of fight against the corrupt governments were necessary so that the town found the route to reach a true independence. The War of liberation carried out in mountains and the clandestine fight in the cities lead to the triumph of the Revolution in 1959.

The City of Havana, like capital of Cuba, concentrates the maximum functions of the state apparatus.