The curves and columns that line Havana's streets refer to past eras
and speak of the political, social, and economic forces that have driven
the city to its present condition. The ornate Moorish style Palaciao de
las Ursilinas, which included a convent, a church and a school of the
Ursiline nuns, was a private property until the 1960's when it was confiscated
by the Castro regime and converted to apartments.