Two heroes of all time

Every June 14th, the Cuban nation awakens to a double celebration that seems dictated by destiny. In 1845, Antonio Maceo Grajales, the Bronze Titan, was born in Santiago de Cuba; 83 years later, in 1928, Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, the Heroic Guerrilla, was born in Rosario, Argentina. This same date unites these two giants who, from different eras and geographies, shared an identical moral compass: unconditional love for Cuba and an unwavering will to defend its right to be free.

Antonio Maceo forged himself in the Cuban countryside as one of the most brilliant military strategists of the 19th century. A mulatto from a humble family, he joined the Ten Years’ War at just 23 years old and rose to the rank of Major General in the Liberation Army. His name was forever etched in history at the Protest of Baraguá, that act of absolute dignity with which he rejected a peace without independence and the abolition of slavery. Later, during the War of 1895, he led the invasion from East to West, demonstrating that the audacity and discipline of the Mambí fighters could break through enemy lines. On December 7, 1896, he fell in combat at San Pedro, true to his maxim: “Whoever tries to seize Cuba will gather the dust of its soil soaked in blood, if they do not perish in the fight.”