Proceedings ofthe Town Hall of La Habana (Colonial Period: 1550-1898)


Registration Year: 2018
ID: 179/2018
Institution: Oficina del Historiador de La Habana. Archivo Histórico

Related Documents

Four centuries of a city's history are unveiled in the documentary series "Proceedings of the Town Hall of La Habana" during the colonial period (1550-1898). These original, unique and antique documents are kept in the "Archivo Histórico de la Oficina del Historiador de La Habana". These 273 volumes served for the creation of the "Archivo Histórico Municipal" in 1938, rescuing essential documentary heritage for the Cuban and Hispano-American nations. The documents demonstrate both local history and the exchange between the metropolis, its colony and the ties of Cuba to the world. 

The series consists of two groups: the original books (1550-1898) and the transcribed books (1550-1809). The former stands out for its richness of content and form; the latter as a record of the City Council's work in the second half of the 19th century to guarantee the permanence of the documents. The records bear the mark of a colonial institution. They gather the approaches and discussions regarding problems of interest to the inhabitants of the place, whether of economic, political or social nature.

Of the 211 original books, nine compile documents from the 1811-1837 period. The volumes were formed in the binding process during the republican period when the attached material (justifications of topics discussed) was set aside and put in separate volumes. The transcribed books contain 8,484 proceedings and have the same organization as the previous ones. Initially, the need to transcribe the proceedings was related to the land distribution record, which was a cornerstone for many in personal and family financial matters. In its beginnings, the City Council was made up of the most prominent figures of Havana society. Of the 62 transcribed books, two contain royal decrees and dispatches from the years 1675, 1688, 1693-1723 and 1794-1798. When the originals were transcribed, the royal decrees and other royal dispositions were copied into separate volumes. These volumes in particular use sealed paper from the 1882-1883 biennium.

This nomination was inscribed on the Memory of the World Regional Register for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2018 and on the MoW International Register in 2023.