Known as “The Bronze Titan,” Antonio Maceo was among the Cuban independence movement’s most popular military leaders. An Afro-descendant from Santiago de Cuba, he joined the cause for independence in 1868 as an infantry soldier and quickly rose to the rank of general, leading successful campaigns in Santiago and Guantánamo. He fought for the abolition of slavery and the end of racial privileging famously declaring, “No whites nor blacks, but only Cubans.” 

After being exiled by the Spanish, Maceo returned to Cuba in April 1895, during the third War of Independence. In October of that year, he launched an unprecedented invasion into the western provinces, leading operations in Pinar del Río. In late 1896, while attempting to join Máximo Gómez’s forces in Havana province, Maceo’s men were ambushed by the Spanish, and he was captured and killed on December 7. To this day, Maceo remains a vital symbol of Cuban nationalism.