The neighbors of the town insisted to the town council on the need to create a new public square for their amusement. In 1587, the town council decided to use as a public square the area behind the Convento de San Francisco, which was being built at the time. During the latter decades of the 16th century, this square was called the Plaza Nueva (new square), but from the 18th century onwards, once the Plaza del Cristo had been built, it began to become known as the Plaza Vieja (old square). The most remarkable feature of this square are the buildings around it, with their unquestionable historical and artistic importance of having been the blueprint for a style of architecture which, along with certain developments, subsequently spread throughout the city and characterised the Cuban architecture of the 18th century.

The San Francisco de Asís Church and Convent is the current scenario of the richest cultural traditions. This is one of the most extraordinary convent and church complex of the colonial time. The construction of the current set dates from 1738, and it replaced a more modest one completed in 1591. After a restoration in the nineties, the architectural group has harbored, also, a concert hall and the Holy, Sacred and Religious Art museums. The most significant element of the Church is the Tower 42 meters of height, second in altitude at the colonial time. 

A few steps towards Calle Brasil from Plaza del Cristo Square is where the 1886 Museo de la Farmacia Habanera is located. Founded by the Catalonian José Sarrá, it is a shop-museum and nowadays still functions as a pharmacy. The museum displays the history of pharmacies in Havana and their evolution in Cuba. This Pharmacy preserves its original Neo-gothic furniture with Moorish influences, and host a large collection of medicine bottles and medical tools, extracted from archeological excavations in the old city, as well as a book collection with valuable prescriptions for the study of Cuban pharmacopoeia. The museum also exhibits an elegant scale model of an old pharmacy with captivating historical explanations.

The Real Force Castle is located in Old Havana, in an attractive area of important architectural, urban, cultural and social values. This is the oldest fortress of the former fortification system of Havana and the Americas, which construction dates back to 1577. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. A replica of the La Giraldilla, the symbol of the city, can be seen on the highest tower of the castle (the original is in the Museum of the City). Since 2008, the Museo de Navegación (Maritime Museum) is located in the former moat of the Real Force Castle. This museum houses interesting exhibits detailing the history of the fortress and Old Havana, as well as its connections with the former Spanish Empire. It’s worth mentioning that huge scale model of the Santísima Trinidad galleon can be found here.