Mal Tiempo
“Mal Tiempo was necessary to give courage to the Cubans and to give strength to the revolution. Anyone who fought there left convinced he could face the enemy….Maceo was certain of victory. He was tougher than a hardwood tree.”
-Esteban Montejo
On December 15, 1895, rebel troops, headed by Maximo Gómez and Antonio Maceo, entered the region of Cienfuegos. Esteban joined the group further east, sometime around the third or fourth of December. They met a resisting Spanish force of about 2,000 at Mal Tiempo, defeating them in what turned out to be a critical battle in the westward movement of the rebel army. At Mal Tiempo, Esteban fought alongside Antonio Maceo, the Bronze Titan, second in command of the liberation forces against Spain, and Maximo Gomez, the Dominican -born Major General who headed the Cuban forces. Both were veterans of the 10 Years War (1868-1878) and now pushed westward in what would be the final war of independence from Spain.
Former slaves composed a substantial portion of the rebel fighters. Esteban joined the Mambí army while working at the Ariosa mill, with his friend Juan Fabregas. He joined the front at Camagüey and, by the time the troops reached Mal Tiempo, he was well incorporated into the ranks. Mal Tiempo was his first encounter with the Spaniards and it was a decisive victory for the Mambí army.
Mal Tiempo
in Pictures
