A few meters from the sea, where centuries ago there was a deserted cove and then the Queen’s Battery was located, is the Parque Maceo de Havana. There stands the first great monument built in Cuba in homage to Lieutenant General Antonio Maceo y Grajales, a leading figure in the wars for the island’s independence in the 19th century.
Its construction began precisely with the monumental complex, after the battery was demolished at the beginning of the last century and in 1911 a contest was called for the construction of the place. Of the 26 works presented, the winner was that of the Italian sculptor Domenico Boni, finally executed in bronze and granite, while the design of the public space was entrusted to the architect Francisco Centurión.
The monument, although it does not correspond exactly to that of the award-winning project, was inaugurated on May 20, 1916, on the 15th anniversary of the proclamation of the new Republic and when the famous Havana boardwalk did not yet exist. Although the “Bronze Titan” does not appear in it —as Boni originally conceived— surrounded by bayonets, it contains essential aspects and passages from Maceo’s life, such as the moment when his mother, Mariana Grajales, made his parents swear sons fidelity and sacrifice for the Homeland, important battles of the hero, such as those of Peralejo and Cacarajicara, and the historic Protest of Baraguá.
In addition, the four angles of the base of the pedestal are represented in four large figures: action, thought, justice and law, fundamental elements for Maceo. And at the top appears the equestrian statue of the hero, while the horse stands on its hind legs, as a symbol of his death in combat.
However, even with the inauguration of the monument, the park remained unrealized and it was not until a decade later that a first attempt to shape the site was built, which deserved numerous criticisms, including those of the historian Emilio Roig de Leuchsenring . Several modifications were then made, until in 1960, after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution, its area was expanded and it acquired a more similar appearance to the current one, although other changes and repairs have been carried out later.
Maceo Park then became what it is today, a place not only to honor General Mambi, but also a point of passage and concentration of people, a place of recreation for many, children’s games, walks for lovers and young people who spend the time in the monument itself. And also an important node for city transport, an area where bus stops and other vehicles converge, Havanans who travel from one point to another in the city, or who arrive or leave the nearby Hermanos Ameijeiras hospital, one of the of the Cuban capital and the whole Island.
The park, unfortunately, has not escaped the punishment of nature and human indolence. The latter increases its daily wounds, while its proximity to the sea exposes it to floods and storms, to the impact on its buildings and green areas, on its sidewalks and on the monument itself, from saltpeter, water and wind, as happened recently with the scourge of the powerful Hurricane Ian through Western Cuba.
However, even with its accumulated scars, with the constant threat of the sea and other pains, Maceo Park continues to be an emblematic place in Havana. An endearing place for many Havanans and whose most recent views we bring you today through the lens of our photojournalist Otmaro Rodríguez.
