On the 175th anniversary of the Bronze Titan’s birth, and the 92nd of the heroic guerilla’s, the President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, recalled on his Twitter account: “Maceo and Che are always present in our daily struggle, in our conquests, in our aspirations as a nation, in our commitment to solidarity, in our patriotism.”

During the difficult days of October 1962, Che said that the whole of Cuba was a Maceo, and years later, amidst the grueling hardship of the special period, and the struggle for the return of the boy Elián González, Fidel reaffirmed our decision to resist and win as an eternal Baraguá, in reference to Maceo’s historic refusal to surrender.

Maceo’s name continues to serve as a call to combat, and provokes, in the spirit and attitude of Cubans, the same emotions that Martí discovered in the General: “He loves the country so much that when he speaks, alone with his oath, of its reality, of the fire within it, joy illuminates his eyes, and forms a knot in his throat.”

This is how he was remembered in his hometown, with a floral wreath in the name of the Cuban people, by a representative group of Santiago residents, in the Plaza de la Revolución that honors his name, where 23 giant machetes bear witness to his struggle and a flame of eternal life burns.

TRIBUTE IN SANTA CLARA

As Che’s city, the current epidemiological situation presented no obstacle for Santa Clara to commemorate the births of Antonio Maceo and Ernesto Che Guevara with several activities.

Once again, the Memorial Sculpture Complex that is honored to bear the name of the Heroic Guerrilla served as the main venue of the tribute that began with the placing of floral wreaths alongside the bust of the Bronze Titan and at the Memorial where the remains of Guevara and his comrades in struggle in Bolivia rest, in a ceremony presided by Yudi Rodriguez Hernandez, president of the Provincial Defense Council. .

During the day, in which Party and Young Communist League membership cards were presented to a group of outstanding workers and students at Marta Abreu Central University, Ché’s work as an internationalist doctor was recalled, and gratitude for the efforts of Cuban medicine in the current battle against COVID-19 expressed.

Performances by recognized artists from several provinces and other Latin American countries were streamed across the planet – via an online transmission – from the Memorial Sculpture Complex, singing to these two giants of Our America.

To honor the anniversaries, a brigade of outstanding youth took part in volunteer work at the Las Villas Front Combatants Mausoleum, doing needed maintenance in the gardens and cleaning niches where the remains of those who fought alongside Che rest, while several groups of workers joined the initiative on the production front.

(Source: Granma)

She was great for this and much more: the mother of the Maceo and the Homeland.

She devoted her life to Cuba’s struggle for independence, to which she gave her children, with the love of a mother and pride of a patriot, and encouraged her husband to follow them, becoming an uncompromising Mambi patriot.

Cuba’s national hero, José Martí, was impressed by Mariana Grajales, who he met in Jamaica as an older woman, with the same mettle and memory of her youth, writing: “What is it about this woman, what glory and mystery is to found within this humble woman, what sanctity and devotion within the heart of a mother, what decorum and greatness within her simple life, so that when writing of her it is from the depths of the soul, with the serenity of a child and profoundly moved? She endures in history, smiling at the end of her life, surrounded by the sons who fought for their country, raising her grandchildren to fight.”

What good fortune that Martí left these words describing Mariana Grajales for posterity in the newspaper Patria, honoring her after her death in Kingston, Jamaica, November 27, 1893.

All Cubans know, or should know, that this woman was on war footing for ten years of fierce strife, climbing steep mountains, fording rivers, and healing the wounded, walking with bleeding feet through the bush. And above all, insisting that she did not want mourning, but rather a response for the enemy, when a son of hers, or any other Cuban, fell in battle or was shot by the enemy army.

It is well known that one day he said to the youngest of her sons, in the midst of dramatic circumstances that greatly hurt her as a mother: “And you, get going, because it is time you head to the camp!”

(Granma)

Maceo -Mariana Grajales’ son- was educated, along with his brothers under strict disciplinary rules, work, neatness in dress, courtesy, respect for the elders, honesty, solidarity, courage, tenacity and patriotism.

Several historians call him a master of military tactics, and it is estimated that he took part in more than 600 combat actions against Spanish colonialism, including around 200 battles of great significance.

These confrontations left 26 war scars on his body, of which 21 were received in the Ten Years’ War (1868-1878).

It is also remembered by the Protest of Baragua, a historical event that demonstrated the decision of a revolting nation to live without owners or chains.

Maceo died in combat on December 7, 1896 in San Pedro, Havana province, and his mortal remains rest in the monument of El Cacahual. mh/abo/mem/joe

He is believed to have been involved in over 800 battles, the majority during the independence struggles of 1868, and was wounded 26 times.

But, what makes a man join such a fearsome war, one which caused him such heartache? He didn’t live to see the end.

All people of unmatched greatness are connected by a common desire, to see their homeland free, free of the yoke of oppression and exploitation of their fellow citizens. And there is no doubt that Antonio Maceo was one of those people.

José Martí would say of him: “We must pay heed to what he says, because Maceo has as much strength in his mind as he does in his arm.”

Today, Cuba is a sovereign and independent country, a reality which it owes to patriots who refused to accept defeat or abandon the struggle. One of these individuals was the Bronze Titan. His mother, Mariana Grajales, inculcated in him a sense of order, while his father Marcos Maceo, taught him how to fight. It was the influence of his parents and the socio-political situation at the time which shaped Antonio, along with his 12 siblings, into individuals of indestructible character.

Of course much more can be said of one of the most important military leaders of the island’s independence wars. There are various historical accounts and anecdotes about the Major General which better reflect his personality than any contemporary eulogy can.

For example, after learning of the pact signed by other military leaders, (the pact of Zanjón), an indignant Antonio Maceo, representing the most radical and revolutionary position among Cubans who fought for independence, undertook a feat that would mark Cuba’s history.

The agreement, signed by several of Cuba’s political and military leaders of the time, was intended to put an end to the 10 Years War (1868-1878). However, it did not include two of the most important objectives of the struggle: Cuban independence and an end to slavery.

In a place known as Mangos de Baraguá, Maceo met with Spanish Lieutenant General Martínez Campos, and flatly refused to sign the pact, which he believed did not provide a solution to the country’s problems or grant its full independence. This act would come to be known as the Protest of Baraguá.

Speaking about the Major General, Fidel Castro noted, “As the 10 year struggle was about to end, that figure emerges, that radical revolutionary spirit and consciousness emerges, embodied at that time by Antonio Maceo.”

Likewise, one of the most outstanding examples of his military skill can be seen in the East-West invasion, during which Maceo, together with General Máximo Gómez (1836-1905), another important independence leader, attempted to mobilize the entire country in the struggle to free Cuba of the yoke of colonial domination.

Renowned Cuban intellectual and Communist Armando Hart, described Maceo not only as a talented military leader, but also a man of honor, with an insatiable thirst for knowledge, a broad humanist vision, and close ties with the exploited people, of whom he was the most genuine representative in the Mambí Army; a warrior whose conduct was cultivated through word and deed; a man whose enemies were forced to recognize as a gentleman.

Then there is the battle of 1896 in Vuelta Abajo, today the western province of Pinar del Río.

The confrontation began near the San Jacinto Sugar Mill and continued across the mountainous area known as Rubí. Three columns of enemy reinforcements had arrived when the Titan’s scouting party encountered a fourth on the Lechuza trail. Trained and ready to fight, but lacking weapons, Maceo’s troops found themselves in a difficult position.

Noticing that the enemy was advancing with relative ease, Maceo chose six of his aides and left the campsite. At a certain point along the way the seven insurgents sighted the fourth column about 30 or 40 yards away.

Suddenly faced with Spanish troops, Maceo and his six combatants stopped their horses and opened fire. After a few minutes, they decided to quickly retreat via a narrow path, which they soon realized ended at a tall, sturdy fence, blocking their escape route.

The group realized that only the Major General’s horse would be able to jump the fence. Maceo’s comrades begged him to flee, while they held off the enemy. However, the astute warrior used a strategy that left the Spanish utterly confused.

Brave, intelligent individuals like Antonio Maceo always find a solution to difficult situations. Realizing that there was no way out, the group returned along the same path they had come, riding directly toward the enemy, just as they arrived at the entrance to the pathway.

The Spanish cavalry, unsure as to why the Mambises had turned back, and on hearing the cry “Draw your machetes!” thought that there was a squad of troops behind the group. This psychological blow caused the Spanish to hesitate, allowing the Bronze Titan and his aides to escape.

However, the Spanish troops weren’t the only adversaries Maceo faced.

The General understood the implications of accepting “help” from the U.S. to defeat the Spanish.

In a letter to Mambi Colonel Federico Pérez Carbó, dated June 14, 1896, Antonio stated: “I will never expect anything of Spain, she has always neglected us and it would be improper to think otherwise.

“Freedom is won, not requested, with the blade of a machete; to beg for one’s rights is the attitude of cowards incapable of exercising them.

“Nor do I expect anything of the (north) Americans, we must all trust in our efforts; it is better to rise or to fall without help than to incur debts of gratitude with such a powerful neighbor (…)”

His life was story of epic feats all Cubans should know. A life and a man marked by desires for independence and a fearless temperament; but above all, commitment and devotion to seeing a free world in which everyone is equal.

(Granma)

Also observed at the Cacahual mausoleum was the 27th anniversary of Operation Tribute, initiated to honor internationalist combatants who perished in battle defending sister peoples.

In his remarks, Cuevas Ramos recalled that in many difficult moments, Fidel referred to the ideas of Maceo, and that the Baraguá protest against the Pact of Zanjón has become a symbol of the Cuban people’s determination to continue the struggle for true justice and liberty.

Attending the event were Party Political Bureau members Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, first vice president of the Councils of State and Ministers; Army Corps General Álvaro López Miera, first vice president of the Revolutionary Armed Forces; and Mercedes López Acea, a Council of State vice president.

(Granma)