The José Martí Memorial at Havana’s Plaza de la Revolución (Revolution Square) is undoubtedly the largest monument worldwide dedicated to the Apostle of Cuba’s independence.
The obelisk is 109 meters high and rises on a hill, 30 meters above sea level. A viewpoint is at the top of the tower, which allows for a panoramic view of Havana 50 kilometers around.
Its history dates back to the first quarter of the 20th century, when a development plan for the Cuban capital was devised. It would have a civic center as core, for which the Loma de los Catalanes, located between the main neighborhoods at the time -El Vedado, El Cerro, Marianao and Centro Habana, was selected.
In 1937 a Pan-American contest of ideas for the monument was convened, but none of the projects submitted met the requirements, so the project was postponed.
New contests were held successively in 1939, 1940 and then in 1943, a year in which the design by architect Aquiles Maza and sculptor Juan José Sicre finally received an award, which included creating inside the obelisk a museum-library where Martí’s ideology could be preserved.
Second prize was given to architects Govantes and Cabarrocas, who presented the project of a monumental library that was built first: today’s José Martí National Library.
Third prize went to Luis Enrique Varela, leading a team of architects, and consisted in an obelisk in the shape of a five-pointed star.
After Fulgencio Batista took power by force on March 10, 1952, he ordered the construction of the monument to try to clear his image tarnished by violence. With this purpose, the collection of a day of salary per worker was imposed, in addition to a tax rise and the use of other methods to obtain money to finance construction.
Corruption prevailing in the government repeatedly generated scandals around the project, based on the third prize given to Enrique Luis Varela to favor him for being in that moment the head of the Ministry of Public Works.
Moreover, the press at the time reflected abuses against slum dwellers who occupied the area chosen for the civic center.
Finally, construction began in 1953 and in late 1958 the obelisk and the statue of Martí were finished, but the surrounding areas and the rostrum were still missing.
It was not until 1961, after the triumph of the Revolution led by Fidel Castro, that the then Civic Square was completely built.
Shortly after, the complex was renamed Revolution Square and on January 27, 1966, the eve of the 113th anniversary of the birth of Martí, the most universal of Cubans, Fidel inaugurated the obelisk in the historic and cultural center presently called José Martí Memorial.
The historic significance of Revolution Square grew starting from January, 1959, when it became a meeting place for the Cuban people to celebrate or commemorate and show the world their sovereign and patriotic spirit and their determination to defend the Revolution at any price.
On innumerable occasions, children, members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, farmers, students and workers, all in all, the people have walked down the broad avenue in front of the obelisk, in marches or parades.
Mentioned among the most important events that have taken place there can be the meeting after the conclusion of the literacy campaign that eradicated illiteracy from the island; the funeral rites offered by the people to heroic guerrilla Ernesto Che Guevara and the members of the guerrilla fallen in Bolivia; the Peace without Borders concert, held on September 20, 2009, and the mass offered by Pope John Paul II in 1998.
For all these reasons, the obelisk and the square represent the greatest monument to the Apostle, not only for its size but for its historic dimension.
