Editing Havana (section)

=== 17th century ===

{{Main|History of Havana}}
[[File:Panorama of La Habana (Amsterdam, 17th century).jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|Havana in 1690, according to the Atlas Van der Hagen. British Library.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://garystockbridge617.getarchive.net/media/atlas-van-der-hagen-kw1049b13-081-panorama-van-havana-a5ef76|title=Nederlands: Dit niet gesigneerde stadspanorama op Havana|website=garystockbridge617.getarchive.net|date=1700 }}</ref>]]
Havana expanded greatly in the 17th century. New buildings were constructed from the most abundant materials of the island, mainly wood, combining various [[Iberian Peninsula|Iberian]] architectural styles, as well as borrowing profusely from [[Canary islands|Canarian]] characteristics. During this period the city also built civic monuments and religious constructions. The convent of St Augustin, El Morro Castle, the chapel of the Humilladero, the fountain of Dorotea de la Luna in La Chorrera, the church of the Holy Angel, the [[Hospital de San Lazaro, Havana|hospital de San Lázaro]], the monastery of Santa Teresa and the convent of San Felipe Neri were completed in this era.

In 1649 a fatal epidemic, brought from [[Cartagena, Colombia|Cartagena]] in Colombia, affected a third of the population of Havana. In 1674, the works for the City Walls were started, as part of the fortification efforts. They would be completed by 1740.

By the middle of the 18th century Havana had more than seventy thousand inhabitants, and was the third-largest city in the Americas, ranking behind Lima and Mexico City but ahead of Boston and New York City.<ref>Thomas, Hugh: ''Cuba, A pursuit of freedom'', 2nd Edition, p. 1.</ref>