Walking through Víbora Park, Havana
Photo Feature by Ernesto Gonzalez Diaz
HAVANA TIMES – Located in the municipality of Arroyo Naranjo, to the south of Havana, Víbora Park is one of the most modern and best-organized neighborhoods in the peripheral municipality. Among its distinctive elements is the statue of Maria Auxiliadora (Mary, Help of Christians) that is located at the entrance to the avenue of the same name.
We assume its name comes from its proximity to La Vibora, which is only one kilometer further north. Vibora Park was mostly built in the 1950s, with the exception of some multi-family buildings built in the revolutionary post 1959 period. It has an architecture focused fundamentally on homes that at the time they were built were for middle class and above residents. As can be seen in some photos, there are also apartment buildings from the pre-1959 era, which at that time were generally apartments purchased by middle-class people.
Vibora Park also has buildings such as the old police station, which after the triumph of the revolution was converted into a school that is the castle that can be seen in one of the images. It is a quiet, peaceful neighborhood that does not escape the economic problems, hardships and shortages that virtually all Cubans experience today.
