©Shawna Scherbarth 2001-05. All rights reserved.
Moncado Garrison
Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
December 16, 2003
One of the most important historic sites of the Revoltion, the Moncado Garrison is now a museum and school. On July 26, 1953 Fidel Castro led a group of students in an attack on the garrison. They chose the date because it corresponded with Carnival and they hoped to catch the guards drunk and confused. The attack was not successful though, and many of the students were caught, tortured and killed. Castro was fortunate enough to be escorted to prison under the eyes of the media, thus preventing Batista’s government from murdering him and then claiming he had been killed in battle. He was sent to prison instead, but was granted amnesty in May of 1955 (not the smartest move on the part of the government). He went into exile in Mexico where he trained and gathered his forces, returning in December of 1956 to begin the long, bloody Revolution.
Although the attack on this barricade was unsuccessful, it still stands as one of the most important battles in the Revolution and throughout Cuba you will see signs declaring “Siempre 26” (Always 26).
