MADRID, Spain.- On January 22, 1869, one of the bloodiest events of the Spanish Volunteer Corps against the independent Cubans occurred: the massacre at the Villanueva Theater in Havana.
On the night of the 21st, in the theater, located in the area between Zulueta, Colón, Morro and Refugio streets, the Bufos Habaneros company had premiered the play Egg dog, even if they burn his snout, with the aim of raising funds to support The struggle independence movement, started three months earlier.
Tickets were sold out for the show on the 22nd. In the audience there were Creoles, supporters of the independentistas, and Creoles who wore blue and red ribbons on white garments, like the lone star flag.
Almost at the end of the show, one of the actors shouted “Long live the land that produces sugarcane!” And the public responded with phrases like “Long live Cuba Libre”, “Long live lawns”.
Faced with these cries, members of the Volunteer Corps, who were near the scene and were allowed to control the main cities, in a double function of police and army, attacked the theater with bullets, causing the death of many spectators.
In the midst of the shooting, Leonor Pérez, mother of José Martí, went looking for him, believing that the young man was there. Although Martí was not in the theater, she captured these events in his work.
Years later, in number 27 of his Simple verses he wrote: “To the mouth of death,/ The brave Havanans/ They took off their hats/ Before the strong matron./ And after we kissed/ Like two madmen, she said to me:/ Let’s go soon, let’s go son, / The girl she’s alone: let’s go!”
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