Celia Sánchez was a Cuban revolutionary, organizer, and guerrilla fighter whose work was indispensable to the triumph of the Cuban Revolution. Born in 1920 in Media Luna, in eastern Cuba, she was the daughter of a country doctor who tended to poor peasants and sugar workers, and she grew up close to the people of the Sierra Maestra. After Fulgencio Batista seized power in 1952, she joined the struggle against his dictatorship and became one of the founders of the 26th of July Movement in Oriente province.

Before the Granma landed in December 1956, Sánchez built the clandestine network of peasants and supporters that met the survivors and sheltered them in the mountains. Without that network the guerrilla war might never have begun. She became the first woman to join the Rebel Army as a combatant in the Sierra Maestra, and she organized its supply lines, finances, communications, and recruitment. She also helped create the Mariana Grajales Platoon, a unit of women fighters, challenging the idea that women had no place on the battlefield.

After the victory of 1959, Sánchez remained at the heart of the revolutionary government as Fidel Castro's closest comrade and adviser. She founded the Office of Historical Affairs, preserving the documents and memory of the revolution for future generations. She championed projects for the Cuban people, from Lenin Park to housing and health programs. She died of cancer in 1980, mourned across the island. Her legacy is that of the tireless organizer whose quiet work made victory possible, a reminder that revolutions are built as much in the networks behind the lines as in battle.

• 1 print shipped in a rigid mailer (made from recycled cardstock)
• printed on acid-free, premium matte-photo paper

• paper weight + thickness: 250/m² / 66lbs 

*frame not included*