Antonio Maceo: beyond the machete.

Since his incorporation to the Cuban libertarian cause, the distinguished Lieutenant General José Antonio de la Caridad Maceo y Grajales became one of the most emblematic precursors of independence and a reference in the anti-colonialist struggle for Latin America and the Caribbean.

With more than 600 combative actions to his credit, a manifest leadership capacity and Mambi patriotism running through his veins, this hero born on June 14, 1845 starred in iconic events of the national historical journey, among which the Baraguá Protest and the Invasion of the West occupy a top place.

If in the first of these he ratified the emancipating will of an island reluctant to achieve peace without gaining independence from the colonial yoke, the second consolidated his military command, intransigence and courage in the manigua, convictions that he evidenced, even from exile and that earned him, among others, important positions in the army of Honduras and a growing prestige in the rest of the continent.

The combative exploits did not stop even in what would be the last year of his life, because military actions in Paso Real de San Diego, Candelaria, Güira de Melena, Quivicán, Lomas de Tapia and other enclaves of the national territory had him as the leader and, as in previous epics, he continued to be a thorn in the side of the Hispanic forces.

The last battle of Maceo moved the largest of the Antilles on the fateful December 7th, 1896, when Punta Brava witnessed the death of the heroic Mambi insurrectionist, but history immortalized the iconic Titan who never unsheathed his machete until he saw his nation free from the odious scourge of slavery.

Written by Yadiel Barbón Salgado.