Cementerio de Santa Ifigenia

This cemetery (Calzada Crombet, tel. 022/63-2723; 8 a.m.–6 p.m.; entrance CUC1, cameras CUC1, videos CUC5) is the final resting place of several key figures in Cuban history. The grand gateway is dedicated to Cuban soldiers who died fighting in Angola. Just beyond is the Mausoleo de Martí, the tomb of José Martí, beneath a crenellated hexagonal tower (each side represents one of the six original provinces of Cuba). Marble steps lead down to a circular mausoleum, designed so that the sun would always shine on his coffin, which is draped with the Cuban flag. The cemetery also contains the graves of Carlos Manuel Céspedes, Emilio Bacardí, Tomás Estrada Palma (Cuba’s first president), heroes of the attack on the Moncada barracks (look for the red and black flags on their graves), and heroes of the War of Independence, who are entombed in a tiny castle.