The oldest military building that is conserved in Havana and in Cuba at present is the Castillo de la Real Fuerza, located in the Plaza de Armas in Old Havana.

That castle replaced an earlier one that had been built very close to where it is located and that was destroyed by an attack by a corsair to Havana.

The construction of this castle was ordered by the Spanish crown by Real Cédula of February 9, 1556.

The works began on December 1, 1558 by Bartolome Sanchez and were completed almost 20 years later, exactly in 1577 by Francisco de Calona.

The castle floor is a square divided into 9 equal parts that top four regular bastions. Also the castle has a moat that surrounds it.

The tower of the fortress, which measures 16.33 meters, was erected at the time of the governor Juan Bitrián (1630 - 1634) who was the one who ordered to place on top the beautiful statuette known as La Giraldilla.

This castle in the seventeenth century was described as the safest building in Havana and several Captains General and Governors established their residence there. The first to reside there was Juan de Texeda in 1690.