The equestrian Monumento a Calixto García pays homage to the valiant general and military strategist who participated in Cuba’s three most important pro-independence wars against Spain. Twenty-four bronze plaques surrounding the statue provide a history of García’s 30-year struggle for Cuban independence.
After commanding the troops that delivered the final victory against Spain in 1898, García was prevented by US military leader William Shafter from attending the Spanish surrender in Santiago de Cuba – the start of US military intervention in Cuba.
The statue stood for nearly 60 years on the Malecón. After it was damaged in Hurricane Irma in 2017, it was restored and moved to its present plot on Quinta Avenida, opposite the Havana Yacht Club.
