Masud-Piloto, Félix

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Via Sapientiae: The Institutional Repository at DePaul University

Diálogo Volume 3 Number 1 Article 4 1998 Traces of 1898 in Cuba Today Félix Masud-Piloto Follow this and additional works at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/dialogo  Part of the Latin American Languages and Societies Commons Recommended Citation Masud-Piloto, Félix (1998) "Traces of 1898 in Cuba Today," Diálogo: Vol. 3 : No. 1 , Article 4. Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/dialogo/vol3/iss1/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for Latino Research at Via Sapientiae. It has been accepted for inclusion in Diálogo by an authorized editor of Via Sapientiae. For more information, please contact digitalservices@depaul.edu. COURTESY: FÉLIX MASUD-PILOTO COURTESY: FÉLIX MASUD-PILOTOT r a c e s  o f  1 8 9 8  i n  C u b a  T o d a yBy F é lix  M a s u d -P i lo toAnyone who visits Cuba, and specially Havana, quickly notices that the war of 1898 and its reper­c ussions for Cuban history are visible almost every­where. From the many streets that bear the name of war of independence leaders; Agramonte, Cés­pedes, Gómez, Martí, Maceo, to the many monu­ments and museums dedi­cated to the conflict, and of course, upon arrival at the José Martí International Airport. The photographs on these pages, taken in Havana during the months of January and December 1997, provide a glimpse, however brief, of how Cuba continues paying homage to the martyrs of its war of independence and to proudly display its symbols of nationalism and sovereignty.Although every photograph tells its own story, none has as much poignancy and symbolism than the remains of the monument to the battleship U.S.S. Maine. For almost 60 years, the two vertical concrete columns served as a perch for a giant American bald eagle, the most recognizable—and in Cuba’s case the most feared—symbol of U.S. imperialism. During the nation-wide celebration following the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, an angry crowd shouting nationalist slogans, knocked off the giant bronze eagle from its perch. The crowd cheered happily as the eagle broke apart upon impact with the pavement.The elimination of the American bald eagle from Havanas landscape symbolized the end of an era of United States meddling in Cuban affairs. Today the eagles broken wings are on permanent display in Havanas Museum of the Revolution, housed in what was, until 1959, the residential Palace.Superior: Alas del Aguila ImperialLeft: Memorial a MartíBottom Left: Monumento al MaineCOURTESY: FÉUX MASUD-PILOTO

Traces of 1898 in Cuba Today

https://via.library.depaul.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1026&amp;context=dialogo

Traces of 1898 in Cuba Today

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