This figure is only correct for this small hill, since in 1750 the hamlet had extended from the Guamá River shore along the current Gerardo Medida street, then called Camino de San Mateo (which was the first route in the history of the city), to the Cienaga stream, today known as Arroyo Galeano. That is why our historic urban center is ordered from today called Martí Park and has there the first historic center of the city.
Something significant for the cultural life of our city is that Pinar del Río limits to the North, or presents in its North zone, that founding park, to the South, in that zone, Antonio Maceo park, to the West, Rafael Morales park or the Audiencia (second historical center of the city) and little more ahead in that West zone, the Independence park (third historical center) and to the East, that is to say, to the entrance of the city by the autoroute, after the University Pinareña, is the Palace of Guasch, in the intersection of Martí and Comandante Pinares.... and in its current center, (fourth historical center, since the early twentieth century, in the intersecion of Martí and Gerardo Medina streets, there is also a park, Roberto Amarán park ... and it is significant that there are these parks so related to the history and culture of Pinar del Río because we have helped to maintain the traditions with different popular activities in the same every weekend.
The center of the city covers an area of 83.5 hectares (24 blocks). It has its own characteristics in its buildings that give it a historical and architectural value. In it are observed buildings built since the mid-nineteenth century and early twentieth century. In general, the medianería is a significant element, predominating the eclectic style where elements of the nineteenth century are presented, especially in the interiors. The presence of continuous portals, both individual ones and those of the commercial area, makes pleasant route, constituting elements that shape the space, thus achieving a spatial continuity that does not exist in other cities.
The existence of red ceramic tiles and screeds on the roofs of high rise houses, whether inclined or flat, is a characteristic of our city and its historic center in particular.
Finally, we see that once compiled the historical and cultural information of the historic center of the city, it is composed of five cultural poles, which are going to be Cultural centers, they are; Independence Park, Roberto Amarán Park, Antonio Maceo Park, Rafael Morales y González Park and Martí Park (...).
Martí Park
By Gerardo Ortega Rodríguez
Martí Park, homage to the National Hero in our territory, is framed at the beginning of the 1930s.
There was the park officially called Wifredo Fernández Vega, name that had replaced the Villalón Park, by the former Mambí commander at that time Colonel and Minister of Public Works in recognition not only of his participation in José Martí's Necessary War but also of his valuable contribution to Antonio Maceo's Campaign in Pinar del Río because he manufactured and brought with him the Libertador Canyon, when he disembarked in September 1896 together with Major General Juan Rius Rivera.... and above all as a benefactor for allocating one million pesos in public works for the City. On the other hand Villalón put his care and personal attention, according to the press of the time in the accomplishment of this work. He had the park totally paved: gazebo, fountain, benches, lampposts... and a permanent policeman to take care of it.
According to two informants, the roundabout was made of wood, it was in front of Bodega La Giralda, twenty steps away, the fountain was twenty steps away, that is, in the center of the park, a fountain with water and a gruya in the middle whose peak was the jet, then a not very large esplanade and at the end a set of three lanterns as in an inverted uve before the convergence of Vélez Caviedes and Recreo streets (Gerardo Medina and Isabel Rubio, today; and in the genesis of the City, caminos del Sur and de Abajo).
And between 1902 and 1922 it was called Concordia Park and before, according to some of La Fraternidad, what should have been the simple esplanade in front of the first parish of the first historical centre, of which only that remains: an esplanade, an open space, and two roads that join... in addition to the proximity to the river; but this new connotation of the monument to Martí is significant... the monument and the park mark, besides the end towards the west, of the central road, the First Historical Centre of the City.
To complement the description of the monument, let us say that on both sides of the shaft, to the right and left of the statue, two Martian phrases in bronze letters and under one of them, chiseled into the marble itself, the author's name and his municipality of origin in Italy are also his ornaments, which can still be seen, but this is not the case; However, with the two bronze veneers that initially crowned both coats of arms and of which today only the hollowed space of the quadrilateral where they were, neither the words of the base or pedestal of the statue in letters of bronze also, which prayed:
THIS MONUMENT HAS BEEN ERECTED BY PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC
GRAL GERARDO MACHADO Y MORALES PROVINCIAL GOVERNOR RAMON FERNANDEZ VEGA
MUNICIPAL MAJOR DR JUAN M CABADA
24 FEBRUARY 1928
Such words have only been found after a research in photos of the time and aided by a good magnifying glass, but the experience can be tried from the edition of the newspaper Heraldo Pinareño on February 18, 1931, where you can also appreciate all the description made in the present work of the monument dedicated to our National Hero.