CubaPLUS Magazine

Conceived as the road epicenter of the Cuban capital, the Revolution Square houses the largest sculpture of National Hero José Martí, the iconic image of Che Guevara and functional modern buildings.

The construction of the then Civic Plaza was completed in 1959 and it is still the highest point of the city six decades later, thanks to its tower, which is over 112 meters high.

Starting in the 1930s, several competitions were held to choose the project for the monument to José Martí, but it was not until 1943 that the results of the last contest paved the way forward.

Architect Aquiles Maza and sculptor Juan José Sicre won first place for the design of the José Martí Temple; their colleagues Govantes and Cabarrocas won second place for the design of the current National Library, and third place went to a team that designed an obelisk with a five-star base as a symbol of freedom.

The statue of Martí is 18 meters high, made of marble extracted from a place near El Abra, in the former Isla de Pinos (today Isla de la Juventud), where the National Hero was exiled for the first time.

The pyramid is 112.07 meters high, from street level to the top, while the total elevation is 141.95 meters above sea level, including lights and flags.

The monument has an interior elevator, a 579-step staircase and a lookout at the top that allows a view of a range of up to 60 kilometers.

The José Martí Memorial, inaugurated inside the base of the monument on January 28, 1996, has five rooms that correspond to the points of the enormous star on which the obelisk stands.

The square, a place of great events, public and governmental meetings, parades, concerts, solemn evenings, among other activities, became known as Revolution Square on July 16, 1961.

One of its most iconic elements is the sculptural relief of the Argentine-Cuban revolutionary leader Ernesto Che Guevara on the facade of the Ministry of the Interior, based on a photograph taken by Alberto Korda.

Another similar sculpture, also by Enrique Avila, is that of the guerrilla commander Camilo Cienfuegos, located in the building of the Ministry of Communications.

The square is frequented by national and foreign visitors, as its open and outdoor format is one of the main examples of the history of the Revolution led by Fidel Castro.