It doesn’t get much closer to the city center of Havana than Central Park, a place widely acknowledged to be the meeting point of the city. Many roads lead to this open and bustling space, with the Prado, San José, Neptuno and Zulueta streets tightly interlocking it. It’s shaded from the heat of the day and the surrounding dense traffic by numerous high palm trees, beneath which many people enjoy taking a respite during their lunch hour or just watching the world go by. Yet ‘park’ almost seems like a misnomer for this place, given that its ground is smoothly paved by concrete and a statue of José Martí done in white marble hails passers-by from the center of the park. Martí was a Cuban National Hero and a heavyweight writer in Latin American literature, becoming the figurehead for Cuban Independence in the revolt against Spanish rule in the 19th century. Clustered around the plinth of his statue are 8 coffin-like stone sculptures, intended to honour the medical students shot dead by the Spanish Government during the Ten Years’ War. Today, the history of Havana is kept alive in the park, where you can enjoy a quiet moment and contemplate its colourful heritage.