Hotel Inglaterra

Opera House & Hotel Inglaterra

At the other side of the Opera House, you can see the white building of the Hotel Inglaterra (England). It is the oldest standing hotel in Cuba. It was named after the major world power of the time. It opened its doors in 1875.

Legend has it, that a new rebellious class of criollos (Spanish born in the New World)  frequented the cafes of the hotel and threw milk on the Spanish guards during colonial times. I believe it is also the place of a historical duel in Cuba's history. Two young men argued about the prestige of weapons of war. Cuban troops fighting for independence from Spain used the Machete as their main weapon of fighting. A Spaniard contended the Machete was not a noble weapon like the sable. Both decided to duel to death to prove their point. The Criollo used the war Machete, and the Spaniard chose the Spanish cavalry sable. None die, but their gesture became legend summing up the temperature of the times foretelling the war to come in 1895.