General Juan Rius Rivera, was the soldier and revolutionary leader from Puerto Rico to have reached the highest military rank in the Cuban Liberation Army and to hold Cuban ministerial offices after independence. In his later years he also became a successful businessperson in Honduras.
General Juan Rius Rivera
Placard in honor of Juan Ríus Rivera in Mayagüez, PR.
Statue of Juan Ríus Rivera in Mayagüez, PR
Cuban War of Independence
The Cuban War of Independence, also known in Cuba as The Necessary War, fought from 1895 to 1898, was the last of three liberation wars that Cuba fought against Spain, the other two being the Ten Years' War (1868–1878) and the Little War (1879–1880). The final three months of the conflict escalated to become the Spanish–American War, with United States forces being deployed in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippine Islands against Spain. Historians disagree as to the extent that United States officials were motivated to intervene for humanitarian reasons but agree that yellow journalism exaggerated atrocities attributed to Spanish forces against Cuban civilians.
Lieutenant General Antonio Maceo's cavalry charge during the Battle of Ceja del Negro
Spanish troops in Cuba, 1897
Death of Maceo, by Armando Menocal
Wreckage of the Maine, 1898