Havana Harbor: from history to legend

I hope you can enjoy this exciting story full of love, passion, legend and the history of a city, which greatest wealth is the mixture of cultures: Welcome to Havana!

Hi dear steemians!

Today I would like to introduce you two subjects:

1. "triangle of fortresses" protecting the entrance to Havana Harbor
2. statuette symbol of the city

Towards the 1500s, Havana, colony of Spain, was one of the favorite spots for attacks by pirates and corsairs that abounded in the Caribbean area. Given the need to protect the city from those constant looting, several fortification projects were started, mainly at the entrance to Havana Bay. Being a natural "bag bay" [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havana_Harbor], the strategy of placing fortresses on both sides of its entrance and a third one in the inside of the bay was very functional.
Thus the construction in wood of a first castle called La Fuerza is begun. Some years later, it was victim of a pirate attack, under the command of the Frenchman Jacques de Sores [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_de_Sores], who reduced everything to ashes. The work of La Real Fuerza began on its ruins.

1537

• A new governor for the island was appointed by the Spanish crown: don (Sr) Hernando de Soto

His mission: to govern the island and prepare an expedition to Florida to continue with the "discovery" (we will have a post about it) of Ponce de León.

His wife: doña (Mrs) Isabel de Bobadilla [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In%C3%A9s_de_Bobadilla]
Curiosity: it's said that her full name was Leonor Inés Isabel de Bobadilla

1539

• Hernando de Soto embarked towards Florida
  He was leading an expedition of nine ships and more than 500 horses, leaving his young wife in charge of the country's administration.

Since then, Isabel spent hours and hours of each day in the highest part of the castle hoping to see the ship that would bring her husband back ...
Don Hernando would never return. He died alongside the Mississippi River of a terrible disease.
But his loving wife never stopped waiting ... until, according to legend, she died of love!

-- Symbol of hope and conjugal fidelity, it became, years later, a source of inspiration for the artist Gerónimo Martín Pinzón, who sculpted the first statuette.

It was then, decision of the governor in progress: Juan Bitrán, to place it at the top of the castle as a symbol of the city. He named it Giraldilla in memory of his hometown in Seville: Giralda.

The sculpture represents a standing woman, 110 cm tall, who has the skirt gathered on one of her knees, which is admirably appreciated, even in the folds of the fabric. And on the chest it shows a medallion with the name of the sculptor and a crown on the head. In La Giraldilla there are traits that evoke the features of Spanish women, which is why it is considered a genuine representation of a city as spiritually Spanish as Havana is.

What the statuette represents

• Unconditional love story
• Welcome symbol to sailors that arrived at the bay
• Weather vane indicating the direction of wind, due to the banderole that hung from its left arm

What the statuette became

• Symbol of the city of Havana
• Image of Havana Club Rum
• It also figure in the havana baseball team uniforms

I love the 7 years old!

Thank you very much for your attention and your time.
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