Case file · Folklore / legend
The ceiba of El Templete
Every 16 November, on the eve of Havana's founding day, people circle the ceiba tree beside El Templete three times in silence and make a wish, a rite since the monument was inaugurated in 1828.
1828 CE · 23.14, -82.35 · status: official
The account
El Templete marks the spot where the first Mass and town council are said to have been held under a ceiba in 1519. The ceiba is a sacred tree in Afro-Cuban religion, home of spirits and the orishas, and is never cut lightly.