When, on March 15, 1878, Major General Antonio Maceo rose from his hammock in the mango trees of Baraguá and gave a resounding "No" to the Spanish proposal of the Pact of Zanjón, the patriotic spirit of our people, of the Homeland, and of the Revolution—the true Revolution—reached its zenith.
This is what Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro declared in 1978, on the centennial of this historic act, when he said that with the Protest of Baraguá, patriotism reached its peak and the banners of the Homeland and the Revolution, with independence and social justice, were placed on their highest pedestal.
That same rebelliousness and determination never to surrender to the enemy that attempts to conquer and annex Cuba's sacred soil remains the same as it was 148 years ago, although today's enemy is not the Spanish empire of the colonial era but the United States, which has blockaded Cuba for more than 60 years.
Disunity, fragmentation, and strongman rule dragged the Ten Years' War (1868-1878) to the capitulationist Pact of Zanjón, where Spanish colonialism attempted to secure a peace agreement without independence, precisely at the moment when the Mambises were reasserting the initiative in Oriente and Las Villas.
The lack of unity had, in some cases, led to a breakdown in discipline, a disastrous factor that threatened the attainment of their longed-for freedom. Some Mambí leaders saw the Zanjón as their escape route, although many others continued the fight in the eastern part of the island.
Unaware of the process initiated by the Spanish Captain General, Arsenio Martínez Campos, to buy the surrender of some Mambí leaders in the most despicable way possible, Maceo, now recovered from the serious wounds he received on August 6 of that same year in the Battle of Mangos de Mejías (eight in total, four of them in the chest), rejoined the war in January 1877 with the rank of major general.
His resounding victories in the battles of Florida, Llanada de Juan Mulato, and San Ulpiano, in January and February of 1878, made up for the time lost in convalescence. He then went to see his doctor and close friend, Dr. Félix Figueredo, to inquire about the rumors circulating of conferences and negotiations with the Spanish, rumors he did not believe.
Upon hearing all that had been said about the leaders of the Revolution who had accepted the agreement with the Spanish, Maceo visibly displeased and walked away without saying goodbye to his friend.
On February 18, 1878, in Pinar Redondo, General Máximo Gómez and Maceo met to bid farewell to the heroic matriarch of the Maceo family, Mariana Grajales. There, Gómez informed Maceo of everything that had happened in Camagüey. They shared the decision not to accept the terms of the Pact of Zanjón and their determination to continue the fight. Gómez also learned of the Bronze Titan's objective to meet with the Spanish Captain General, Arsenio Martínez Campos, to request a suspension of hostilities that would allow him to reorganize, and he encouraged him in this endeavor.
On February 21, 1878, Maceo wrote to Martínez Campos. He tells him that he knows, through Gómez and the commissioners of the Central Department, what was agreed upon in Camagüey. He says that Oriente and Las Tunas are ready to continue the fight, disagreeing with the resolution of the Central Junta. He requests a meeting and asks for a four-month suspension of hostilities to consult with all the districts that make up that department.
On March 15, 1878, the meeting between Maceo and Martínez Campos took place in Mangos de Baraguá. The Spaniard gave brief introductory remarks, and Maceo immediately responded that they did not agree with the signed pact, since it did not achieve Cuban independence or the abolition of slavery.
Martínez Campos retorted, “But you don’t know the terms of the Pact of Zanjón.” “Yes,” Maceo interrupted, “and it’s precisely because we know them that we disagree.” “Then,” said Martínez Campos, “we don’t understand each other.” “No, we don’t understand each other,” Maceo firmly replied.
It was agreed that hostilities would resume within eight days so that troops could occupy the designated territories. The Mambí captain Fulgencio Duarte, who had witnessed the meeting, exclaimed, “Lads, on the 23rd, the corojo palm will break!”
Despite this dignified stance, the revolution was mortally wounded by regionalism, indiscipline, and personal interests, and even though circumstances proved unfavorable for maintaining the fight in the eastern territory, the protest led by Maceo held great significance.
A similar stance regarding the Pact of Zanjón was adopted in Las Villas by Mambí Colonel Ramón Leocadio Bonachea, who remained active until April 1879 when, upon laying down his arms at the Jarao train station, he vowed to take them up again when circumstances allowed.
With this stance, Maceo and his followers not only consolidated Cuban revolutionary thought during a time of profound moral crisis, but also reaffirmed the fundamental objectives of the national rebellion, salvaged their honor as combatants, and elevated that of Cuba, bequeathing to future generations the possibility of proudly proclaiming that, from the very beginning, Cuban revolutionaries have never been vanquished or defeated.