Haydée Santamaría Cuadrado (December 30, 1922 – July 28, 1980) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician, regarded as a heroine in post-revolutionary Cuba.
She participated in the assault on
Moncada Barracks
The Moncada Barracks was a military barracks in Santiago de Cuba, named after General Guillermo Moncada, a hero of the Cuban War of Independence. On 26 July 1953, the barracks was the site of an armed attack by a small group of revolutionaries ...
in
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana.
The municipality extends over , and contains t ...
on July 26, 1953, an action for which she was imprisoned along with
Melba Hernández. She was a founding member of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of Cuba
The Communist Party of Cuba ( es, Partido Comunista de Cuba, PCC) is the sole ruling party of Cuba. It was founded on 3 October 1965 as the successor to the United Party of the Cuban Socialist Revolution, which was in turn made up of the 26 ...
.
and one of the first women to join the PCC. She maintained a high position in its leadership throughout her life. Having participated in the attack on the Moncada Barracks, Haydée Santamaría is among a relatively small group of people who were involved in every phase of the
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution ( es, Revolución Cubana) was carried out after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état which placed Fulgencio Batista as head of state and the failed mass strike in opposition that followed. After failing to contest Batista in cou ...
, from its inception to its fruition.
Early life
Haydée Santamaría was born to Spanish immigrants Joaquina Cuadrado and Abel Benigno Santamaría on December 30, 1922, in
Encrucijada
Encrucijada () is a municipality and town in the Villa Clara Province of Cuba. It was founded in 1850 and established as a municipality in 1910.
History
The municipality was divided into the barrios of Centro, Paso Real, El Santo and Vega Redo ...
, Cuba, on the Constancia sugar refinery. The eldest among five children, she and her siblings Aida, Abel, Aldo, and Ada were raised in a petite bourgeois family that emigrated from
Galicia,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
to
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
in the area formerly known as Las Villas Province. She only attended school until the sixth grade, which was not uncommon due to poverty and customs regarding gender; however she repeated the sixth grade 3-4 times before leaving school, exhibiting an appreciation of reading and learning. In school, she was introduced to important writers, among them
Jose Martí
Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods.
* Jose ben Abin
* Jose ben Akabya
*Jose the Galile ...
—an important figure of Cuban literature and a national symbol of independence.
After trying to become a nurse and working as a teacher for a short time, Haydée Santamaría was able to leave the trappings of her conservative family behind, joining her brother, Abel Santamaría, in
Havana, Cuba
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. in the early 1950s. It was in Havana at this time that she started meeting Abel’s comrades, chief among them
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
. Haydée Santamaría and
Melba Hernandez
Melba may refer to:
* Dame Nellie Melba (1861–1931), Australian soprano opera singer
** ''Melba'' (film), a 1953 musical biopic drama film about Nellie Melba
** ''Melba'' (miniseries), a 1988 Australian mini series about Nellie Melba
* Melba M ...
were the only two women to directly participate in the assault on the Moncada Barracks of July 26, 1953. Her roles during, leading up to, and following July 26, 1953 included acquiring and transporting weapons, being involved in the organization of the revolutionary organization of the
July 26th Movement, as well as helping to assemble the urban uprising of November 30, 1956 in Santiago de Cuba alongside
Frank País
Frank País García (December 7, 1934 – July 30, 1957) was a Cuban revolutionary who campaigned for the overthrow of General Fulgencio Batista's government in Cuba. País was the urban coordinator of the 26th of July Movement, and was a key or ...
and
Celia Sánchez.
Revolutionary and post-revolutionary activity
During her imprisonment after the Moncada assault, the guards allegedly brought her the bleeding eye of her brother,
Abel Santamaría
Abel Santamaría Cuadrado (20 October 1927 – 26 July 1953) was a leader in the Cuban Revolutionary movement.
Biography
Abel was born in Encrucijada, Las Villas, Cuba. He and his sister Haydée allowed revolutionaries including Fidel Castro ...
, and threatened to tear out the other. They also brought her the mangled testicle of her then fiancé, Boris Luis Santa Coloma. Her response was: “If you did that to them and they didn't talk, much less will I.” Both Abel and Boris died after the assault of the Moncada Barracks.
After her release she helped to found the
26th of July Movement, joining the guerrilla forces led by
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
and
Che Guevara
Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quoted ...
in the
Sierra Maestra
The Sierra Maestra is a mountain range that runs westward across the south of the old Oriente Province in southeast Cuba, rising abruptly from the coast. The range falls mainly within the Santiago de Cuba and in Granma Provinces. Some view it a ...
mountains. Santamaría was in Miami, Florida for the planning of the 26th of July Movement.
The speech
History Will Absolve Me
''History Will Absolve Me'' (Spanish: ''La historia me absolverá'') is the title of a two-hour speech made by Fidel Castro on 16 October 1953. Castro made the speech in his own defense in court against the charges brought against him after he led ...
was converted into a written manifesto by Fidel Castro using lemon juice to write between the lines of letters during his imprisonment after the assault on the Moncada Barracks. The manifesto was disseminated by Haydée Santamaría and Melba Hernandez after their release from prison. They assumed responsibility for smuggling out the speech in sections, raising money to print them, and distributing ten thousand copies throughout Cuba with the help of
Natalia Revuelta
Natalia Revuelta Clews (December 26, 1925 – February 27, 2015) was a Cuban socialite, mistress of Fidel Castro, and mother of his daughter Alina Fernández. Both Revuelta and Castro were married to other people.
Early life
She was active i ...
and
Lidia Castro, building the mythic reputation and de facto leadership of Fidel Castro. On September 4, 1958, Fidel Castro established the
Mariana Grajales Platoon, an all-women’s battalion for the rebel army, and Fidel Castro’s personal security detail. Haydée Santamaría was a member of the Marianas during the war, fighting in the mountains of the
Sierra Maestra
The Sierra Maestra is a mountain range that runs westward across the south of the old Oriente Province in southeast Cuba, rising abruptly from the coast. The range falls mainly within the Santiago de Cuba and in Granma Provinces. Some view it a ...
.
After the
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution ( es, Revolución Cubana) was carried out after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état which placed Fulgencio Batista as head of state and the failed mass strike in opposition that followed. After failing to contest Batista in cou ...
in 1959, she founded the cultural institution
Casa de las Américas
Casa de las Américas is an organization that was founded by the Cuban Government in April 1959, four months after the Cuban Revolution, for the purpose of developing and extending the socio-cultural relations with the countries of Latin America, ...
, and remained its director for two decades. This was a bold institution that gave voice to the work of Latin American dissidents, and it continues today. As well as literature, the institution brought innovative music, painting and theatre to the Cuban people. Haydée Santamaría’s unique role within the Casa de las Americas allowed her to practice internationalism in the face of the
United States embargo against Cuba
The United States embargo against Cuba prevents American businesses, and businesses organized under U.S. law or majority-owned by American citizens, from conducting trade with Cuban interests. It is the most enduring trade embargo in modern his ...
, creating a space for artists and intellectuals from around the world to meet and collaborate in Cuba. Her support of artistry and her dedication to the spirit of revolution helped her foster many intimate relationships with different artists. It was with the exposure at the Casa de las Americas, and support from Santamaría, that
Silvio Rodriguez
Silvio () is an Italian male name, the male equivalent of Silvia. Sílvio is a variant of the name in Portuguese. It is derived from the Latin "Silvius", meaning "spirit of the wood," and may refer to:
People
* Silvio Berlusconi (born 1936), Ital ...
was able to start the Nueva Trova "New Song Movement" (
Nueva canción
Nueva canción (European , ; 'new song') is a left-wing social movement and musical genre in Latin America and the Iberian peninsula, characterized by folk-inspired styles and socially committed lyrics. ''Nueva canción'' is widely recognized to ...
) in post-revolutionary Cuba. In an earlier letter written by Ernesto “Che” Guevara to Haydée Santamaría, he alludes to her cultural achievements, and then chooses to recall a specific incident in the mountains of the Sierra Maestra:
"I see that you have become a literati with the power of creation, but I will confess that how I most like you is on that day in the New Year, with all your fuses blown and firing cannons on all sides.”
Her commitment to the cultural development of Cuba allowed her to meet many new and interesting people, but she was to be plagued by the tragic losses of her loved ones to the end of her life.
Personal life and death
Depression ran in her family and it severely affected her to the end of her life. Often she spent days in bed while in depressive episodes. She eventually married
Armando Hart Armando may refer to:
* Armando (given name)
* Armando (artist) (1929–2018), the name used by Dutch artist Herman Dirk van Dodeweerd
* Armando (producer)
Armando Gallop (sometimes written as Armando Gallup) (February 12, 1970 – December 17, ...
and had two children with him, Cuban writer
Celia Hart
Celia Hart (January 4, 1962 – September 7, 2008) was a Cuban physicist and writer. Until May 2006, she was a member of the Cuban Communist Party. She was the daughter of two historic leaders of the Cuban Revolution, Haydee Santamaría and ...
and her brother Abel Hart. They also took in many children and managed their own type of orphanage.
After two decades of marriage, Armando and Haydée ended up separating. Haydée Santamaría committed suicide at the age of fifty-seven in the home she and her children shared on July 28, 1980, two days after the 27th anniversary of the attack on the Moncada Barracks. The fact of her suicide was problematic within Cuba and, some have speculated, the reason she was not mourned in the
Plaza de la Revolución
Plaza de la Revolución (), "Revolution Square", is a municipality (or borough) and a square in Havana, Cuba.
The municipality, one of the 15 forming the city, stretches from the square down to the sea at the Malecón and includes the Vedado d ...
, but rather was given the burial of an ordinary citizen in
Havana, Cuba
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. . Haydée Santamaría’s death followed six months after the death of her close friend Celia Sanchez from lung cancer, and several months after a car accident left her in chronic pain. The events of the Cuban Revolution left an indelible mark on her, causing her to lose many people to whom she was close, and ultimately contributing to the lifelong depression from which she suffered. In a letter published by Casa de las Americas in 1968, she wrote to
Che Guevara
Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quoted ...
after his death:
"Fourteen years ago I saw the most intensely beloved human beings die—I think that I have already lived too much. The sun is not as beautiful, I don’t feel pleasure in seeing the palm trees. Sometimes, like now, in spite of enjoying life so much, knowing that it is worth opening one’s eyes every morning if only for those two things, I have the desire to keep them closed, like you."
[Maclean, Betsy. Haydée Santamaría. Melbourne: Ocean Press, 2003. Print.]
References
* Maclean, Betsy. Haydée Santamaría. Melbourne: Ocean Press, 2003. Print.
* Puebla, Teté, and Mary-Alice Waters. Marianas in Combat: Teté Puebla & the Mariana Grajales Women's Platoon in Cuba's Revolutionary War, 1956-58. New York: Pathfinder, 2003.
* Randall, Margaret. Haydée Santamaría, Cuban Revolutionary: She Led by Transgression. Duke University Press Books, 2015.
* Shayne, Julie D. The Revolution Question: Feminisms in El Salvador, Chile, and Cuba. Rutgers University Press, 2004.
Further reading
Her Revolution, Her Life by Rebecca Gordon-Nesbitt, review of Margaret Randall's book, ''Haydée Santamaría, Cuban Revolutionary: She Led by Transgression'' (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2015)
External links
Haydée Santamaría Cuadrado(''
Encyclopædia Britannica
The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...
'')
Article on cubanet.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santamaria, Haydee
1922 births
1980 suicides
People from Encrucijada
Cuban revolutionaries
Female military personnel
Women in war in the Caribbean
Women in warfare post-1945
Female revolutionaries
Military personnel who committed suicide
Suicides in Cuba