On July 26 2001 a taxi driver in Havana tried to explain us something about the Cuban society: "in Cuba muchas, muchas des Martires". You have many heroes in Cuba. We have categorized them. In the first category you will find heroes who fought for independence against Spain. Most of them lived from the middle of the 19th century until the first part of the 20th century. In the second category you will find heroes who fought against the various corrupt regimes in the period after the independence of Cuba and some heroes who lived after the Cuban Revolution. 

Ignacio Agramonte

Carlos Manuel de Cespedes

Calixto Garcia

Maximo Gomez

Antonio Maceo

Jose Marti

Serafin Sanchez

Vilo Aguna

Juan Almeida

Eduardo Chibas

Camilo Cienfuegos

Jose Antonio Echeverria

Elian

Jose Mendoza  Garcia

Jesus Suarez Gayol

Ernesto "Che" Guavara

Antonio Guiteras Holmes 

Nico Lopez

Julio Antonio Mella

Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez

Frank and Josue Pais

Celia Sanchez

Abel and Haydee Santamaria

Guillermo Sardinas

Ignacio Agramonte

Ignacio Agramonte was a cattle rancher who led the revolt against Spain in the area of Camaguey in the First War of Independence which started in 1868. In July rebel forces under Agramonte bombarded Camaguey. Four years later he was killed in action against the Spanish. You can visit his his native home in Camaguey (Museo Casa Natal de Ignacio Agramonte).

Francisco Vicente Aguilera 

He was born in 1821 and led the independence struggle in Bayamo during the First War of Independence. He died in 1877.

Carlos Manuel de Cespedes

Carlos Manuel de Cespedes was born in Bayamo. On October 10, 1868 Cespedes started the First War of Independence against Spain by freeing his slaves at his sugar mill estate "La Demajagua" in the province of Granma. He proclaimed the Independence of Cuba in front of the Ayuntamiento (Town Hall) in Bayamo. Cespedes died in a Spanish ambush. 

Calixto Garcia

Calixto Garcia was born in Holguin in 1839. In the First War of Independence against Spain he captured Holguin. At the end of the Second War of Independence in 1898 he was about to repeat this, when the USA intervention in the War forced him to rush to Santiago de Cuba to help the USA-army. That done Calixto went back to Holguin and occupied the city.

Maximo Gomez

Antonio Maceo

Antonio Maceo was born on June 14, 1845 in Santiago de Cuba. He played an important role in both Wars of Independence against Spain. At the end of the First War of Independence in February 1878 he didn't agree with the pact between the rebels and the Spanish authorities, which granted amnesty for the rebels. After this "Protest of Baragua" he fought another three months before he went into exile. On April 1, 1895 he came back by boat in Duabo to start the Second War of Independence together with Jose Marti and Maximo Gomez, who had landed in Playitas de Cajobabo. He became second in command after General Gomez. Maceo was killed in the battle of San Pedro near Bauta on December 7, 1896. 

Serafin Sanchez

A local patriot of Sancti Spiritus, who participated in both wars of independence and died fighting in November 1896. His native home (Casa Natal) can be seen in Sancti Spiritus.

Vilo Aguna

Vila Aguna was a Revolutionary from the period of the Sierra Maestra. Later he went along with Che Guavara to Bolivia. There he was the second in command in the guerillawar. 

Eduardo Chibas

Orthodox Party leader. In 1951 he committed suicide during a radio broadcast as a protest against the political corruption of his time. At his burial Fidel Castro jumped on his grave and made a speech denouncing the old establishment. 

Jose Antonio Echeverria

You can visit his native home in Cardenas.

Elian

Fidel Castro about Elian

Antonio Guiteras Holmes (1906-1935)

A student leader who founded the revolutionary group "Joven Cuba" (Young Cuba) in 1934. On May 8, 1935 he tried to flee the country. With 18 others he gathered in Matanzas at the mouth of the Rio Canimar to get a boat to Mexico. He was discovered by Batista's troops together with Venezuelan revolutionary Carlos Aponte Hernandez (1901-1935). Before they could board, they were shot dead. In Pinar del Rio you can visit his native home (Casa Natal) and there is a museum dedicated to him in Matanzas. Nearby this museum there is also a monument erected for him and his Venezuelan comrade.

Nico Lopez

Nico Lopez was born in 1932. He attacked the military barracks in Bayamo on July 26, 1953 together with 25 revolutionaries. They hoped to support the assault on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba by preventing reinforcements being sent. After the attack Lopez escaped to Guatamala. Here he met Che Guevara and introduced him later to Fidel Castro in Mexico. He went with Fidel Castro aboard the Granma to Cuba in 1956. Soon after the landing of the Granma Lopez was killed on December 8, 1956 in Boca del Toro.

Julio Antonio Mella

A student leader who founded the first Cuban Communist Party in 1925. Dictator Machado sent an assassin to Mexico City who killed Mella on January 10, 1929.

Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez

The first Cuban (and Latin American) cosmonaut.

Frank and Josue Pais

Celia Sanchez

Celia Sanchez played a crucial role for Fidel Castro and his comrades after the landing of the Granma in Playa las Coloradas. She supplied the men with food and arms. In Pilon is a small museum dedicated to Celia Sanchez in the house where she lived. She was born in Media Luna, where you can visit her native home. On the main square in this village you can admire a very romantic statue of Celia Sanchez. For a while she was the girl friend of Fidel Castro.

Abel and Haydee Santamaria

Guillermo Sardinas

Parish priest  of the "Nuestra Senora de los Dolores"-church at Nueva Gerona in the special municipality Isla de la Juventud. IN 1957 the priest left Nueva Gerona to join Fidel Castro in the Sierra Maestra. He was promoted to the rank of "Comandante". 

Fulgencio Batista