Abel Santamaría
Abel Benigno Santamaría Cuadrado (born October 20, 1927 in Encrucijada , † July 26, 1953 in Santiago de Cuba ) was a leader of the Cuban Revolution .
Life
The son of the Spanish couple Benigno Santamaría and Joaquina Cuadrado moved from his central Cuban home province of Las Villas to Havana in 1947 , where he worked as a commercial clerk and was involved in the opposition social-democratic Partido del Pueblo Cubano (Ortodoxos) . In 1952, shortly after the military coup, Fulgencio Batistas , he met Fidel Castro , a fellow party member of the same age , with whom he subsequently exchanged ideas about possible forms of revolutionary resistance against the dictatorship. In 1953 they organized a group of predominantly young radical like-minded people who called themselves on the occasion of the 100th year of the birth of the freedom hero José Martí Generación del Centenario ("Generation of the 100th Anniversary"). Together they worked out the plan for the armed attack on the Moncada barracks in Santiago de Cuba. Santamaría took part as deputy commander in the operation on July 26, 1953 and was captured, like his sister. He was then tortured in a military prison. He refused to testify against his companions and was killed.
As the highest-ranking among the first victims of the forerunners of the July 26th Movement , Santamaría became a symbol of the Cuban Revolution revered as a martyr. His sister Haydée , who had also participated in the assault on the Moncada barracks in a supporting role, remained a central activist of the Castro rebel movement and was a leading cultural functionary from 1959.
Honors
Streets, parks, buildings and entire districts are named after Abel Santamaría in several Cuban cities, including the sugar factory in his place of birth. The university clinic in Pinar del Río bears his name, there are museums in the house where Santamarías was born in Encrucijada and in the former apartment of the siblings in Havana.
The “Abel Santamaría” medal is awarded by the Cuban state to young people who have achieved remarkable achievements in various areas, such as political engagement, work, sport, artistic creation, etc.
Web links
- Abel Santamaría in the official Cuban online encyclopedia EcuRed (Spanish)
- Biography of Abel Santamaría on the website of the organ of the Communist Party of Cuba (Spanish)
- Museum in Havana in Cuba Museum Guide (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Santamaría, Abel |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Santamaría Cuadrado, Abel Benigno (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Cuban revolutionary, campaigner of Fidel Castro |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 20, 1927 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Encrucijada , central Cuba |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 26, 1953 |
| Place of death | Santiago de Cuba |