A group of historians from Pinar del Río found the exact location of the camp and health hospital created by the Cuban patriotIsabel Rubio during the war of 1895.
The researchers foundnumerous archaeological evidence which show that the camp was located on the northern slope of the hill known as Gracias a Dios. This is located in the upper basin of the Los Palacios River, eight kilometers from San Diego de los Baños.
Among the finds at the archaeological site are kitchen containers, fragments of a water jar, the remains of a sewing machine and nails dating from the late 19th century.
The doctor of scienceJorge Freddy Ramirez He was one of the participants in the research. He explained to theofficial press that within the copious information of original documents existing in Spanish archives, "those related to the arrest and death of the patriot were locatedIsabel Rubio Diaz".
The analysis of this material allowed Cuban historians to find the exact point where the camp was located, which is the place whereIsabel Rubio She was captured by Spanish forces, days before she died.
Who was Isabel Rubio?
Isabel Rubio was theHealth Captain of the Liberation Army. His main work was carried out in the western region of Cuba, in the War of 1895, against the Spanish Army.
Rubio was born on July 8, 1837, in Paso Real de Guane. She was the daughter of a doctor and lost her mother at the age of 6. When she was a 16-year-old teenager, she married Joaquín Gómez Garzón and had four children, Ana María, Isabel, Rosa and Modesto.
The mambisa joined the fight for Cuban independence around 1882. Somehistorians indicate that he participated in clandestine meetings withJosé Martí in Key West and New York, to prepare conditions for restarting the war in 1895.
His house was the largest conspiracy center in Pinar del Río. Many people warned Rubio that she should leave the island and collaborate from exile, but she refused.
At 58 years old, and with two small grandchildren who were in his care, he joined the Mambisa forces and entered the mountains of Pinar del Río, dedicating himself to treating the wounded.
They arefield hospital was visited byGeneral Antonio Maceo on January 20, 1896, the occasion on which he appointedIsabel Rubio asHealth Captain of the Liberation Army.
In Maceo's second campaign in Pinar del Río, from March 15 to December 3, 1896, Rubio traveled more than 150 km with his field hospital, providing health services to the Mambisa troops.
He had to change the location of his camp on several occasions to avoid guerrilla attacks from San Diego de los Baños.
On February 12, 1898, it was surprised by combined forces of the Balearic Battalion and the guerrilla of Antonio Llodrás, from San Diego, who surrounded the camp.
Rubio received a bullet in the leg and as a prisoner of war she was taken to the San Isidro Hospital in the capital of Pinar del Río. He died on February 15, 1898 from gangrene in his wound.
Why is the discovery of this camp important?
Ramírez pointed out that the main historical value of the discovery of the exact location of the camp is to be able to close the journey traveled by the distinguished patriot in Pinar del Río, under harsh campaign conditions and persecuted by the Spanish forces.
The area where thehealth camp and hospital created by Isabel Rubio more than 125 years ago, it continues under archaeological investigation. Access is restricted to the population. It is estimated that in the future it may be open to the public, for those who wish to pay tribute to the Mambisa captain.
The discovery of the archaeological site was possible thanks to the support of the ProjectConnected Worlds: The Caribbean origin of Modern World, sponsored by the Institute of History of the Higher Center for Scientific Research of Spain that works with Cuba in research on the War of 1895-1898.
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