If we stick to the most famous legend about its origin, La Giraldilla -one of the most precious symbols of Havana- could well still be waiting for the return of its unforgettable love, in a perennial candle in the tower of the Castillo de la Real Strength, the oldest fortress in the city.
A statuette forged by the Havana sculptor Jerónimo Martín Pinzón, in the 17th century, is the original work that represents, according to the legend, the unfortunate Isabel de Bobadilla, who waited for a long time for the return of her husband, Hernando de Soto, from Florida.
The conqueror and military leader was not killed by a skirmish, but by a fever he contracted in the swamps of the Everglades or near the Mississippi. The inconsolable lady refused to admit the truth, even once it was known, and persisted in her daily task of scanning the horizon with the illusion of seeing the ships appear in which Hernando departed, who, in addition to the conquest, thought to find the Fountain of Youth in those places that turned out to be demonic for him.
De Soto had been appointed in 1537 by the Spanish Crown as the seventh Spanish governor in Cuba, Governor of Florida and Commander of the Order of Santiago. In May 1539 he left Havana for Florida at the head of an expedition. He died in 1540.
Doña Isabel's perseverance in the face of her unfortunate love inspired the sculptor Pinzón years later. It was a piece cast in bronze and located on top of the northwest bastion of the aforementioned Fortress, by order of Governor Juan de Bitrín and Viamontes between 1630 and 1634.
Materially, La Giraldilla is just a weather vane, in the shape of a woman. At 110 centimeters high, a medallion with the author's name hangs on its chest. Her skirt is collected on her right thigh.
But for the city and its inhabitants, La Giraldilla is history, legend, art, tradition, culture, a pure symbol of love and fidelity, the feminine grace of Havana. … As almost everyone knows, the weathervane of the Castillo de la Fuerza is a copy, while the original is safeguarded in the City Museum, in order to protect it from the onslaught of the elements.
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