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José Martí Monument

The memorial monument José Martí (national hero of Cuba) is a very tall and majestic construction (140 m), towering imposingly on the north side of Plaza de la Revolución, in the Vedado area of Havana.

It consists of a 109 m tall tower in the shape of a five-pointed star and a statue of Martí surrounded by six columns, designed by a team of architects led by Raoul Otero de Galarraga.

The José Martí Monument was the last architectural and engineering project of Raoul Otero de Galarraga and his proudest achievement.

The base was enormous and so deep that when viewed from above, the men working below ground level looked like miniature men.

The concrete used to fill the base took several days to consolidate.

The construction of the tower began in 1953 on the 100th anniversary of the birth of José Martí.

The marble arrived in Havana from Isla de Pinos (Isle of Youth), then cut and shaped by the architect and polished at the Gallo factory.

Numerous marble blocks were carved, one block at a time.

Martí's thoughts were transcribed with a gold mosaic that arrived from Venice.