1398) Camilo Cienfuegos

Camilo Cienfuegos Gorriarán (1932 – 1959). Cuban revolutionary. Along with Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Juan Almeida Bosque, and Raúl Castro, he was a member of the 1956 Granma expedition, which launched Fidel Castro's armed insurgency against the government of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. He became one of Castro's top guerilla commanders, known as the "Hero of Yaguajay" after winning a key battle of the Cuban Revolution.

He was appointed head of Cuba's armed forces shortly after the victory of Castro's rebel army in 1959.

He was presumed dead when a small plane he was traveling in disappeared during a night flight from Camagüey to Havana later that year. Many have speculated and conspiracies have arisen concerning his mysterious disappearance. Cienfuegos, whose name translates in English to "a hundred fires," is revered in Cuba as a hero of the Revolution, with monuments, memorials, and an annual celebration in his honor.

 

- "He was a handsome, popular, and athletic young man with red hair and a quick laugh." https://www.encyclopedia.com/.../cienfuegos-camilo-1931-1959

 

- "He was handsome and possessed red hair." https://books.google.it/books?id=FojnWy7_RN4C&pg=PA1959...

 

 

 

1397) Manuel Piñeiro

Manuel Piñeiro Losada (1933 – 1998). Cuban political and military figure, a leading character of the Cuban Revolution, as the first head of Fidel Castro's security apparatus (known as Dirección General de Inteligencia, DGI).

Piñeiro was the Cuban DGI chief from 1961–1964. He then became Deputy Minister of the Interior in charge of the state security apparatus from 1964–1968. A Soviet reorganization of the DGI forced Piñeiro out of his position and he was then placed in charge of the DGI's Latin American affairs division.

- "... known as Barba Roja (Spanish: "red beard")." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Pi%C3%B1eiro

 

- "A couple of months later, Lorna spotted this red-haired guy near Juilliard. He was Cuban, and his name was Manuel." https://www.npr.org/.../dance-dance-revolution-when-an...

 

- "Brown-eyed and sporting red hair, thick red eyebrows, freckles and a red beard, he received the nickname “Barbaroja” (Redbeard)."   https://cubaconfidential.wordpress.com/.../manuel.../

 

 

1396) Vilma Espín

Vilma Lucila Espín Guillois (1930 – 2007). Cuban revolutionary, feminist, and chemical engineer. She helped supply and organize the 26th of July Movement as an underground spy, and took an active role in many branches of the Cuban government from the conclusion of the revolution to her death. As an adamant feminist, Espín helped found the Federation of Cuban Women and promoted equal rights for Cuban women in all spheres of life.

Espín was married to Raúl Castro, the former First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, who is the brother to former First Secretary Fidel Castro. Their wedding took place in 1959, only weeks after the 26th of July Movement had successfully overthrown dictator Fulgencio Batista. They had four children.

Espín took on the role of Cuba's First Lady for 45 years, initially taking on the role as the sister-in-law to Fidel Castro, who was divorced at the time he came to power. She officially became the First Lady in 2006 when her husband, Raúl Castro, became president.

 

- "A tall woman with bright auburn hair, she had done post-graduate work in the US and spoke fluent English." https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/jun/20/obituaries.cuba

 

- "A tall woman with spectacles, her auburn hair twisted into a bun, Espin was a highly recognized figure across the island." https://www.montereyherald.com/.../wife-of-acting-cuban.../

 

Espìn and Raùl Castro on the day of their wedding