José Martí – The birthplace of the national hero in Havana

Cuban poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor, and publisher, he was an important figure in Latin American literature. He was very politically active, and is considered an important revolutionary philosopher and political theorist.

Through his writings and political activity, he became a symbol of Cuba’s bid for independence from the Spanish Empire in the 19th century. From adolescence, he dedicated his life to the promotion of liberty, political independence for Cuba, and intellectual independence.

The house where he was born, is now a museum, holding a collection of objects linked to his life, and once housed a family. Seven rooms devoted to different periods of his personal history, including a replica of his office in New York, display the various objects. Inaugurated in 1925, this is the oldest museum in Havana / Image: by Julio Larramendi, via cubadebate.cu

José Julián Martí Pérez was born on January 28, 1853, in Havana, at 41 Paula Street, to Spanish parents, a Valencian father, Mariano Martí Navarro, and Leonor Pérez Cabrera, a native of the Canary Islands. Martí was the elder brother to seven sisters.

Birth house of Jose Marti, is a modest residence dating from the early 19th century. Architecturally, its interest lies in the fact that it is an excellently preserved example of humble homes of the colonial period, of which there are not many. The house was restored in 1963 and it is a National Monument.