Cuba! Exploring the Plaza de la Revolution

Jose Marti Memorial at Revolution Plaza

I recently returned from a wonderful week in Havana. It was exhilarating and humbling, educational and fun. While I know I can't truly convey what it was like to be there, I'm going to give it the old college try. And that seems apt, since one of the good things Fidel Castro implemented was free education for all. If only there were jobs that paid a living wage for the bright and articulate students upon graduation. But I'm going to try and stay on point for this post, which is sharing a bit of information about Havana's Plaza de la Revolucion. 

Revolution Plaza was quite appropriately the first stop on our panoramic tour of the city. The Cuba of today is the result of Castro's victory over Batista in the Revolution. This Plaza was one of the places Castro gave hours long speeches on occasions such as the anniversary of the Revolution and International Workers Day. The crowd could number as many as a million people. I have practical questions, like how did Castro hydrate and when did he pee. Not to mention how he came up with all those words. But I'm already digressing. 

Sculptural mural of Camila Cienfuegos

The person memorialized in the sculpture and building pictured above is not Castro but Jose Marti. Marti was a 19th century poet, journalist, diplomat and activist who worked for the liberation of Cuba from Spain. When he was just 16 years old, Marti was arrested for denouncing a pro-Spanish classmate and sentenced to six years of hard labor. He was released after a few months but spent most of the remainder of his life in exile. Even if you haven't heard Marti's name before, I'll wager that you're familiar with his work. The lyrics of the song "Guantanamerro" came from one of Marti's poems.

While doing a bit of internet surfing, I learned you can also find a sculpture of Marti on horseback in Central Park. Artist Anna Hyatt Huntington created the work and then gifted it to the Cuban government to be given to the City of New York. It seems a bit circuitous, but I guess that ensured the sculpture would be displayed. Still, although New York received the sculpture in 1959, the pedestal where it was to be displayed sat empty until 1965. Given the political issues raging between the US and Cuba at the time, commemorating one of Cuba's heroes didn't seem appropriate. For a picture of that sculpture, click here.  And for a bit more about Marti, click here. 

Two other revolutionaries are also recognized in Revolution Plaza -- Camila Cienfuegos and Che Guevara. Cienfuegos was Fidel's second in command throughout the Revolution and continued to be actively involved in the new government after Fidel's victory. The sculpture of Cienfuegos contains the words "Vas bien, Fidel" or "You're doing fine, Fidel." These words were Cienfuegos' response to Fidel when he turned to Cienguegos during one of his speeches at Revolutionary Square and asked how he was doing. Really, though, what could Cinefuegos have said? "Since you asked, you're going on a little bit long, my friend"? Cienguegos died in a mysterious plane crash a few months after the success of the Revolution. His body was never recovered, and some believe Fidel or Raul Castro had a hand in his demise due to his popularity with the people. For more on Cienfuegos, click here. 

Sculptural mural of Che Guevara

And then there is Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Che is a romantic figure of the Revolution, in part because he died at just 39 years old. Of course he was also pretty darn handsome, and many a tourist -- including some of the women in our group -- come home from Cuba with a tshirt with Che's face emblazoned on the front. 

Che was a fierce warrior and, like Cienfuegos, played an important role in Cuba both during and following the Revolution. One of the jobs Che was tasked with following Fidel's victory was reviewing the appeals of people convicted as war criminals who were to be executed by firing squad. He is known as well for advocating agrarian reform to break up large farms and redistribute land to the people. His resume also includes training militia forces who fought in the Bay of Pigs Invasion. (In another post, I'll share pictures of a bunker located on the grounds of the Hotel Nacional de Cuba that was used by Cuba during the Invasion.)  The sculpture includes the words  “Hasta la Victoria Siempre” or “Toward victory forever.” For more on Guevara, click here.  

Visiting Revolution Square was only the first of many educational and thought-provoking experiences during our trip. I quickly realized how little I know about Cuba and the United States' relationship with the country. It was also immediately clear how significant a role public art plays in telling the story of Cuba's history. For me, having these visuals as an entry point helped enormously. Our trip was off to a terrific start. 

Next up: Exploring Old Havana