ABOUT CARLOS MANUEL DE CéSPEDES
Remembered as the catalyst for the Ten Years' War, this plantation owner declared Cuban independence in 1868 and liberated his slaves, encouraging them to join him in a rebellion against Cuba's Spanish-controlled government. He was killed by the Spanish in 1874, but his actions paved the way for the Cuban War of Independence of the late 1890s.
Before becoming a political revolutionary, he pursued a career as a musician, most notably co-writing the song "La Bayamesa."
His visage has been featured on Cuba's ten and one hundred pesos bills.
His marriage to Maria del Carmen de Cespedes y del Castilo resulted in a daughter named Maria and sons named Oscar and Carlos. With his second wife, Ana Maria de Quesada y Loinaz, he had three more children: Carlos, Oscar, and Gloria. Finally, through a later-life affair with Francisca Rodriguez, he fathered a son named Manuel.
Nearly a century apart, Cespedes and Che Guevara both led revolutions in Cuba.
