Máximo Gómez (1836 – 1905) was a military leader in two of Cuba’s three wars against Spain during the late 19th century. He was Major General in the Ten Years’ War (1868 – 1878) and Military Commander during the Cuban War of Independence (1895 – 1898). After Cuba achieved independence, Gómez declined the overwhelming public support for him to become president. This equestrian monument by sculptor Aldo Gamba shows Cuba’s hero facing the sea. Beneath the marble platform supported by a dozen columns is a bas-relief fronted by the winged Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory in war. The tribute was erected along Malecó in 1935.