One of Cuba’s great heroes has an impressive testament to his accomplishments in the striking Máximo Gómez Monument. View this large monument overlooking the entrance of the canal from Havana Bay to Havana Port.
Learn about the fascinating life of this military leader. Born in the Dominican Republic and a leader of Spanish cavalry in his home country, Máximo Gómez y Báez became one of Cuba’s greatest military commanders. Shifting allegiance, he led Cuban troops twice in efforts seeking independence from Spain.
Gómez commanded Cuban troops during the lengthy Ten Years’ War. Although the Cubans did not defeat the Spanish at that time, Gómez introduced guerrilla tactics, including machete warfare, which would recur in later Cuban conflicts. After the end of the war, Gómez lived in exile for 15 years and then returned to Cuba as generalissimo during the Cuban War of Independence.
Fittingly, the Maximo Gómez Monument features Gomez riding a horse. Gaze up at the giant bronze equestrian sculpture resting atop 14 columns of a tall marble pedestal. Below the columns are marble carvings of an angel and numerous humans, cherubs and horses. Additional bronze horses charge out of one side of the statue while a giant bronze maiden sits at the other side. The Italian artist Aldo Gamba, who won a 1919 competition to design a monument, created the intricate statue. His complex artwork was unveiled in 1935.
The Máximo Gómez Monument is at the center of a traffic circle near the harbor, opposite the entrance to the tunnel under the canal. View the monument as you circle the roundabout or stop and walk through the nearby parks and sit on a bench to admire the giant structure. Visit San Salvador de la Punta Castle while you are in the area to see one of the fortifications erected by the Spanish over 400 years ago.
