Havana’s Zanja Street between Galeano & Belascoain
Photo Feature by Ernesto Gonzalez Diaz
HAVANA TIMES – According to the story, Zanja Street takes its name from the dirt path that existed in the seventeenth century called the Zanja Real. It was built to transport water from the Almendares River, west of the capital, to Havana, which at that time was limited to what is now Old Havana and part of Centro Habana.
Today Zanja divides the neighborhoods of San Leopoldo and Barrio Chino, being one of the fundamental arteries of the municipality of Centro Habana. The street has several restaurants, bars and some shops, due to its proximity to the Barrio Chino, which is undoubtedly the area of the city with the highest concentration of varied food offers.
In Zanja there is also the National School of Wushu, directed by teacher Roberto Vargas Lee, and the main police station of the municipality. It is a street that always has something new to show us, and it is usually very busy.
My cousin had a birthday party on the roof terrace of the building in the first pic. Great views but rather challenging ladder to get up there and lots of drunk people sitting on the parapet!