The Plaza de la Revolución Antonio Maceo of Santiago de Cuba, inaugurated by Fidel on October 14, 1991 and of deep symbolism for the Cubans, will fire his eternal Commander-in-Chief.
It was at the close of the Fourth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba that the heroic city received this gift and listened attentively to the speech of the leader of the Revolution, who said: "... men can die, but ideas will never die! . "
The spacious esplanade was small to accommodate thousands and thousands of people from Santiago and Santiago, those who do not believe in the strong sun or rain to attend every call to the plaza, as will happen this December 3 in a mass act.
Significant celebrations and events took place there during their 25 years, such as Masses officiated by Pope John Paul II on January 24, 1998, and that of His Holiness Benedict XVI on March 26, 2012 With the presence of President Raúl Castro.
A close relationship with the history of the people's struggles saves that scenario, where an eternal flame perpetuates the memory of one of its greatest warriors, someone who did not accept peace without independence and saw the danger of the United States.
His brilliant actions did not obscure his thinking, as José Martí described it in an article published in the newspaper Patria in October 1893 "(...)
Maceo had in his mind as much strength as his arm. "
That is why the giant equestrian figure of the Bronze Titan, who on his horse calls with a gesture of the left arm to continue the fight.
The 23 pieces of laminated steel that resemble machetes impress by their size and the number symbolizes the date of March 23, 1878, set in the
Protest of Baraguá to restart the hostilities by the Liberating Army.
Its layout in the space responded to an artistic idea of the prestigious creator Guarionex Ferrer, who was inspired by the historical fact of the nineteenth century.
The monumental complex of the Plaza de la Revolución Antonio Maceo in Santiago de Cuba carries with it the reflection: If the country is in danger there are the weapons to defend it, as a commitment to the generations of Cubans who gave their lives for a just cause.
25 years ago, Fidel expressed before the impressive mass act: "Thank you Maceo because you gave us this opportunity! (...) Thanks to you, thanks to your example, thanks to the people that you and those like you forged!