The Plaza de Armas is the most important plaza in Old Havana Habana Vieja laid out in 1519, and now filled with colourful stalls, many with used books and magazines. In the centre of the Plaza de Armas is Parque Cespedes shaded by palms and tall trees, with a white marble statue of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, one of the leaders of the Ten Years War, the first attempt for independence from Spain. The Palacio de los Capitanes Generales (Museo de la Ciudad – City Museum) is across the Plaza with the Cuban flag, and the pink colonial-style building on the left is the Hotel Ambos Mundos.