Cuba for
Revolution Sites
From funky street murals to the reverence shown to key personalities, you can’t escape la revolución in Cuba. Here, we’ve picked the unmissable revolution sites that will tell Cuba’s story.
t The striking exterior of Moncada Barracks
Visit Moncada Barracks
The revolution was launched with an audacious attack on these army barracks in Santiago de Cuba by Fidel’s revolutionaries on 26 July 1953. It is now a school, but there is a superb museum inside dedicated to the infamous assault on site.
Explore the Museo de la Revolución
Havana’s most important museum is housed in Batista’s former presidential palace and gives visitors a good overview of the revolution’s origins, events and outcomes. To the rear, the Granma Memorial displays the yacht Granma (encased in glass), which brought Fidel and 81 other revolutionaries from Mexico in 1956.
Relive History at Playa Girón
The site of the main battle during the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion is now home to a superb museum, with extensive maps, photographs and gory mementos. You can also see early 20th-century Soviet and US tanks here.
Learn about Che Guevara
The Complejo Escultórico Memorial Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara in Santa Clara features a massive statue of Cuba’s adopted hero. It is surrounded by murals showing the life of the Argentine Marxist’s exploits. Beneath the relaxed silhouette of Guevara, a mausoleum contains Che’s remains. Don’t miss the fabulous museum, which displays many of his personal artifacts.
Pay Your Respects at Fidel’s Grave
A steady stream of visitors bring roses to lay at Fidel Castro’s simple grave every day. Appropriately, the burial place of Cuba’s first Communist leader is marked by an unassuming boulder bearing a bronze plaque that simply says “Fidel”. It is not insignificant that he was laid to rest next to the mausoleum of national hero José Martí in the Cementerio Santa Ifigenia.
Insider Tip
Take a Tour
Follow in the footsteps of revolutionaries on a guided tour with The Nation (www.thenation.com).
Cuba for Revolution Sites
formidable Females
Haydee Santamaría
A key figure in Castro’s government.
Celia Sánchez
This fomer guerilla fighter became Fidel Castro’s secretary.
Vilma Espín
Raúl Castro’s wife founded the Cuban Women’s Federation.
Melba Hernández
A significant Cuban diplomat who fought with the rebel army.
Aleida March
The fighter became Che Guevara’s wife.