The historic event, which took place a few days after the triumph of the guerrilla forces over the tyranny of Fulgencio Batista (1952-1959), allowed the first direct contact of the population with the uniformed revolutionaries and their leader.

Such triumphal tour solidified the victory of the rebel troops 65 years ago and announced to the country the beginning of a new stage of change.

On that occasion, the Caravan departed from Santiago de Cuba on January 2, passing through Bayamo, Las Tunas, Camagüey, Ciego de Avila, Santi Spíritus, Santa Clara, Cienfuegos, and Matanzas to reach Havana.

In each province, the participants of this new reenactment of the Caravan paid tribute to the heroes of that epopee. They reaffirmed the Cuban youth’s commitment to continue the revolutionary process that the nation has been promoting since then.

On January 8, 1959, in the then military camp of Columbia, today Ciudad Escolar Libertad (Liberty School City), Fidel Castro said that Cuba was beginning an era full of difficulties and threats:

The tyranny has been defeated. There is happiness. However, there is a lot to do. We cannot deceive ourselves by thinking that from now on everything will be easy; perhaps everything will be more difficult,” Fidel Castro warned.

He also expressed confidence in the Cuban people to face such challenges to build a just society in a sovereign nation.

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