Ana Betancourt de Mora was a woman completely devoted to the Cuban independence cause. She has transcended in history for her words in the Guáimaro Assembly, in which she demanded the rights of women.

The historical evidence shows that Ana was not present in the Assembly, but that her intervention was on the night of Wednesday, April 14th, at a public rally.

Her emancipatory and patriotic trajectory is undeniable; she was always linked to conspiracies and actions of logistical support to the troops on the battlefield.

Ana died in Madrid, Spain, on July 2th, 1901; there, her remains rested until 1968 when they were moved to Cuba at the initiative of Celia Sánchez Manduley. Although Ana Betancourt was already on home soil, it was only fair that she rest eternally in her native Camagüey.

That is why in 1980 a national competition was launched to choose the best mausoleum project in honor of Ana Betancourt. The winning proposal was that of the team of the sculptor Enrique Angulo and the architect Augusto Riveron, which turned the mausoleum into a public square, which not only made it possible of being appreciated as a sculptural and architectural work; rather, it would have a practical use in society.

The mausoleum, built in Jaimanite stone, was inaugurated on April 10th, 1982 by Vilma Espín, Commander Juan Almeida Bosque and Armando Hart Dávalos a few meters from the physical place where the Guáimaro Assembly was held. From that day on, the remains of this unforgettable woman rest there, in a land that saw her shine with her own light and demand that the rights of women were conceived in the new society that was being forged.

Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García