Marqueses de Aguas Claras Palace, Old Havana

Transport to colonial era with a visit to the Palacio de los marqueses de Aguas Claras (Palace of Marquis of Aguas Claras) in Old Havana, Cuba

Marqueses de Aguas Claras Palace, Old Havana
© lychee_vanilla

The Palacio de los Marqueses de Aguas Claras (Palace of Marquis of Aguas Claras) is located in the famous Plaza de la Catedral. Currently, it is recognized as Restaurante el Patio (El Patio Restaurant), a Cuban joint full of savory food and refreshing drinks you can enjoy outdoors under beautiful archways and columns. Not to mention, the restaurant also has some of the best views of the cathedral and cobblestone square.

Construction of the palace began under orders of Sebastián Peñalver y Angulo, brother of Diego Peñalver y Angulo, who built Palacio del Marqués de Arcos in the same square. Building the palace twenty years later construction was finally completed. Twenty years after the order was mandated, construction was finally finished. By the mid-eighteenth century, the brothers neighbored one another in the Plaza de la Catedral. However, Sebastián was accused of helping the English occupy Cuba. Signaled as a traitor, he was expelled from the country leaving his wife with no other choice than to sell the palace.

The palace was sold to Antonio Ponce de León y Moroto, a distinguished Cuban lawyer. He later added his own touch to the palace and built the mesmerizing doorways we can see today. It was not until he received the title of Marqués de Aguas Claras that the palace was named.

You can enter the palace through the courtyard, where you will find a fountain surrounded by beautiful, green vegetation, columns, and arches. But, it is the palace’s semicircular arches and brushes of baroque style, similar to the cathedral’s, that make it stand out among its neighboring buildings.

More Information:

Location:

Plaza de la Catedral, La Habana, Cuba.

Interactive map:

Havana:

Old Havana

Parque Histórico Militar Morro Cabaña

Centro Habana

Vedado

Miramar

What to see around Havana

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