El Abra Farm

El Abra farm, located in the foothills of Sierra de las Casas in the municipality of the Isle of Youth, was acquired by José María Sardá on October 26th 1868. It becomes historical relevancy when at the end of 1870, lives in it for a while José Martí Perez, our National Hero, when he was commuted to a prison sentence. Martí along with his great friend Fermín, was tried and subsequently sentenced to prison.

Marti lives in the farm for two months and five days, occupying the first room of the second body, which was part of the residence. In this place Martí restored his health, which was quite deteriorated because of the hardships suffered in his previous prison, the prison of Havana.

On January 15th 1871 was deported to Spain, where he will be operated twice due to the sequels left by the chains on his body, there he does not encourage hatreds, but claimed independence and justice. He left friends and took culture: Licensed in Civil and Canonical Law Graduated in Philosophy and Letters, defended with excellent notes in Zaragoza.

In 1943 comes to the Island of Pines (now the Isle of Youth) Waldo Medina, a named judge;  in one of his visits to know the territory, he finds the the site partially destroyed due to the cyclone that struck Cuba in 1926 and concerned about this situation he started to join forces and resources together with a group of Pineros, who created the called Pro-reconstruction Borad of the house of El Abra, On August 13th 1943, after several efforts, with the support from members of the Borad and some of the Modelo prison, the room that occupied Marti, was finished as a Marti Museum, inaugurated on January 28th 1944. It was declared a National Monument on January 28th 1981.

Source: National Council of Cultural Heritage of Cuba