Abel Santamaria House Museum

The house of Abel Santamaría

The Havana audio-guided tour takes you to the former dwelling of Abel Santamaría, a young Cuban who became one of the leaders of the revolutionary movement founded by Fidel Castro, today transformed into a museum.

A companion of the first hour

Originally from Encrucijada, Abel Santamaría settled in Havana in 1947 for his studies and joined the Cuban People's Party. After the coup d'état of Fulgencio Batista in 1952, he drew closer to Fidel Castro, and the two met in this apartment, which he occupied with his sister Haydée, to organise the struggle against the dictatorship. From their meetings was born the assault on the Moncada barracks, on 26 July 1953. The attack failed: Abel Santamaría lost his life following this tragic episode, while others, like his sister, were imprisoned.

What there is to see

Become a national monument and museum, the apartment keeps numerous period objects linked to the life of Abel Santamaría and the 26th of July Movement. A place of memory of the revolutionary struggle, it is discovered in contemplation and pays tribute to a figure that Fidel Castro described as one of the most generous and intrepid of his young companions.

Practical information

The house of Abel Santamaría is at 120 Calle P, in the Vedado district, in Havana. Become a museum, it can be visited according to its own hours, liable to vary; it is appropriate to enter with the respect due to this place of memory.

Who was Abel Santamaría?

A young Cuban who became one of the leaders of Fidel Castro's revolutionary movement, who lost his life after the assault on the Moncada barracks in 1953.

What does the house of Abel Santamaría house today?

A museum and national monument, which keeps period objects linked to his life and the 26th of July Movement.