Founded in 1859 west of Old Havana, the subdivision of El Vedado developed during the first half of the 20th century as the crossroads of urban, architectural, social, and cultural enlightenment in Cuba. Much more than a survey of the origin, urbanization process or architectural merits of Havana's premier development, El Vedado: History of a Havana Neighborhood analyzes how, through the establishment of institutions charged with the stabilization of interests and cultural norms that were in gradual transition from a European to a North American model, the neighborhood that came to be known as El Vedado became not only the center of Havana, but of Cuba itself.