Monument to Antonio Maceo Grajales in Santiago de Cuba

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Santiago de Cuba, Cuba - A monument to Antonio Maceo Grajales stands near the bus station in Santiago de Cuba.  Maceo was also known as "the Titan of Bronze." He was second-in-command of the Cuban army of independence.

Maceo was the son of a Venezuelan mulatto and an Afro-Cuban woman. His father, Marcos Maceo, came to Santiago from Venezula, in 1823, after some of his comrades were exiled from South America. Antonio, the oldest of the children, inherited similar qualities of military leadership from his father. He was a successful entrepreneur and farmer and was later recognized as an outstanding general in the military who was referred to as "The Bronze Titan" by his loyal followers, given that he suffered 25 bullet wounds during his campaigns.

On December 7, 1896, Maceo was killed--with wounds 26 and 27?as he attempted to rejoin Máximo Gómez's forces. His death prompted yet another U.S. Congressional resolution for belligerent rights for Cuba.

Maceo was quoted as having a strict motto; "My duties to Patria and to my own political convictions are above all human effort; for these I shall reach the pedestal of freedom or I shall perish fighting for the redemption of that land."

The Cuban 5 peso bill carries his portrait.