The marble centerpiece of Alameda de Paula, one of Havana’s oldest promenades built in 1777, is the Fuente de la Alameda de Paula. The fountain was erected in 1847 and named in honor of Captain General Leopoldo O’Donnell for his service as Cuba’s governor during the mid-1800s. He is noted for his retaliation against Cuban slaves in 1844 called the Year of the Lash. Later in his political career, O’Donnell was the Prime Minister of Spain.
