Moncada: The History of a Garrison

Many people know about the events that took place on July 26, 1953, at Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba. The oldest members of the irrepressible people still recall that daybreak: the gunshots seemed to be fireworks, just remember that Santiago holds its famous carnivals in those days; the doubts because nobody knew for sure what was going on in the Barracks; the comments that there were soldiers fighting each other; their parents telling them not to go out.

But how many people know the stories within the intimidating walls of Moncada, when it was built, who were held in its cells, how it became a symbol of terror, hate and repression.

The Excelencias Group offers you the opportunity to get to know these interesting events by means of our chronological countdown.

1834: Lieutenant General Miguel Tacón was appointed Governor of the Island, who didn’t hide his contempt for people who lived in Spanish colonies because he had been defeated by Simón Bolívar’s forces in America. This dislike feeling was soon expressed when he announced unfair measures against the Cubans, such as the orders to create a prison in Havana and a barracks -prison in Santiago de Cuba. The project of the new jail in the eastern city was carried out in 1859 by the Governor of the Eastern Region of the Island, brigadier Carlos de Vargas Machuca, and it was named Barracks of the New Prison, since it would be a departmental prison.

1859: Mr. Emilio Bacardí expressed in his Chronicles of Santiago de Cuba that the budget to build the Barracks totaled nearly 300.000 Cuban pesos and the work was conducted by Manuel Ciria, marquis of Villaitre. The garrison was conceived as a large 197 X 84 yard square and it would be built to the east end of the city, near the piece of land that was covered by the Military Hospital in 1862.

In its first stage, the fortress had a solid first floor and cells for 200 prisoners. Nevertheless, the Ten Years’ War changed the plans in terms of the objective of this edification.

1868: The ruling regime, which had decided to build another building to house infantry and cavalry troops, was forced by time and military needs entailed by the war; so it assessed the Barracks of the New Prison’s strategic position and turned it into a military fortress. The jail was transferred to the western side of the city and the Barracks were given to infantry and cavalry troops that were fighting against the mambises.

Throughout the so-called Big War the fortress was named Reina Mercedes Barracks, to pay tribute to the Spanish queen, and it kept this new name and function until the first months of the republic.

1898: The United States joined the Spanish - Cuban war, changed its course and the fate of a country that was about to become a sovereign nation. The North American didn’t allow mambises to enter Santiago de Cuba and, by taking the eastern capital they also took over the main military positions. Reina Mercedes Barracks was now ruled by the Yankees, the Spanish flag was lowered and United States’ was hoisted, thus showing their control on the Island.

1902: The Cuban flag flew in the highest flagpole of Reina Mercedes Barracks; nonetheless, the North American control over Cuba’s politic life was a reality throughout the first 58 years of the 20th century. Reina Mercedes Barracks didn’t change its repressive essence and became the official headquarters of the rural guard.

In this period of time, just as suggested by General Saturniro Lora, the Barracks were named after Guillermón Moncada as a tribute to the notable patriot from the liberation heroic deeds, who was captive in that very place.

Sadly, the tribute to Guillermón was just a first-moment thing, as during subsequent governments, especially during the long-standing dictatorships developed by Machado and Batista, the word Moncada was far from recalling the glorious mambí; quite on the contrary, its name was linked to crime, torture and repression against the bravest sons of its people.

1912: During the uprising led by the members of the Independent Party of Color, Moncada Barracks stood out as the operation center for repressive forces. Those circumstances triggered a terrible persecution against the rebels, which reached out people that had nothing to do with the events.

The head of the Rural Guard, General José de Jesús Monteagudo moved to the eastern province, where the rebels were based, and established his operations center at the Barracks. Hundreds of testimonies reflect the unjust actions carried out against black people in the Eastern region of the country, especially against the detainees that were taken to Moncada’s cells.

1917: This building witnessed the beginning of the liberal coup against the blatant electoral fraud led by Menocal and his party. In February the garrison rose up against the authority and supported liberal José Miguel Gómez. Politicians and military organized in the backyard of the fortress a movement that spread all over the country.

1920 -1930: The increasing number of rebel students and the worker and communist movement set the beginning of a new fighting stage for the Cuban people. Machado’s dictatorship aggravated the situation and, although the police force played the leading role in the repressive actions, Moncada remained as the place to imprison the revolutionary rebels. During Machado’s administration, its cells held numerous leaders, workers, demonstrators and the people in general; such was the case of young Antonio Guiteras Holmes in 1931.  

The revolutionary movement grew stronger and Machado flew away on August 12, 1933. The treason, fostered by the North American imperialism, frustrated the radicalization of the process.

1930 – 1937: In 1933 Batista became the “strong man” for the USA. His dictatorship was characterized by the use of the army to control de situation and the Barracks gained importance in terms of the repressive policy. Throughout these years, the dictator placed emphasis in strengthening the Moncada. Due to the growth of Santiago City, the barracks was standing right in the heart of the city and that was exactly what he wanted: barracks aiming guns at the people to guarantee the oppression.

That was the reason why the government rebuilt the fortress after a “suspicious” fire that took place on December 11, 1937. Three days later, and without any statement related to the disaster, the newspapers posted big headlines: House of Representatives Grants One Hundred Thousand Pesos to Reconstruct the Moncada.

It’s interesting to recall that Batista order the construction of the thick walls and sentry boxes we presently see in the Moncada Barracks.  

1953: This was the first time that, after nearly half a century, the military fortress trembled at a revolutionary action. The plan entailed taking other buildings, but the main goal was the prison - barracks. The objective of the Centenary Generation, named after the centenary of the birth of José Martí, was to gain control by surprise and give the weapons to the people.  

That action failed and unleashed the fury of the dictatorship, so the Barracks became a torture site. Fidel Castro denounced in that time:

Moncada Barracks became a workshop of torture and death, and those disgraceful men turned the military uniform into a butcher’s apron. The blood was spread all over the walls; there were bullets with fragments of skin, brain and human hair, scorched by point blank shots, and the grass was carpeted by dark and sticky blood.

1959: Batista ran away. Commander Raúl Castro with a small group of men entered the fortress and talked to the officers. He was ordered by Fidel to urge them to surrender. Afterwards, he addressed the troops gathered in the polygon. When he saw some portraits of Batista and Tabernilla hanging on the walls, he grabbed them and dropped to the ground. The soldiers applauded this action.

Moncada would never again turn its weapons against the people because it had been taken. Everybody knows what happened next. As part of those coincidences that Cuba’s history always holds in store for us, 100 years had passed since the Spaniards, back in 1859, placed the first stone to build Barracks of the New Prison.