Cuba - Céspedes Flag, 1868

On 10 October 1868, planter Carlos Manuel de Céspedes started a rebellion, the “Grito de Yara” and used his flag. It was the “Flag of Yara” or “Flag of La Demajagua”, a simpler version of the flag that had been designed in 1848 or 1849 when many movements promoting Cuba’s independence from Spain were already active. Céspedes’ rebellion led to the Ten Year’s War which devastated the country; Céspedes was killed in 1874 and his home city of Bayamo was burned to the ground. When Cuba finally became independent in 1902, Céspedes Flag was officially designated the flag of Bayamo, the city of his birth. It is often displayed alongside the Cuban national flag at official ceremonies and events.