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“...
liability to attack by pirates, was in turn abandoned in
favour of the present site in 1519. By its founder it
was proudly named Llave del Nuevo Mundo y Baluarte
de las Indias Occidentales (“ Key of the New World
and the Bulwark of the West Indies.)
The approach to Havana from the sea has been
justly praised by many well-known writers. Beyond
the surf-beaten coast the first conspicuous object to
strike the eye is the historic Morro Castle, whose vener-
able fortifications command the narrow bottle-neck
entrance to the harbour, and its tall lighthouse, erected
in 1844 by Governor-General O’Donnell, whose name is
inscribed upon it. The name Morro, which is also given
to similarly placed fortresses at Santiago and at San
Juan, Porto Rico, signifies “ promontory.”
The Morro, which was erected between the years 1589
and 1597, is partly hewn out of the rock and partly
constructed of solid blocks of rock, and this gives it an
irregular appearance. It is reached by an inclined
road...”
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