Marta Abreu

Marta Abreu

Marta Abreu de Estévez (13 November 1845 – 2 January 1909) was one of the most influential figures of her time in central Cuba, especially in her birth city and province of Santa Clara. For her constant aid to the poor, her donations to the city and the independent war, she won the title of “the great benefactor”.

Her wealth enabled Marta Abreu to travel Europe and the United States from a very young age which brought her into contact with key figures of her time and allowed her to appreciate the differences between most developed countries and her own, and how difficult Cubans had it, specially in small hinterland cities and towns. She married Luis Estévez y Romero, a lawyer from Havana who was also kin of the independence cause and helper of the poor; in time this allowed Marta to fulfill her philanthropic dreams. She died at her home in Paris.

Marta is recognized in Cuba as the precursor of Social Services; she greatly loved her city and because of this love today we can appreciate her work in still standing structures all over. But is without doubts more important the huge amounts of money she also donated to every kind of causes; social, civic, artistic, catholic and the indecency against Spanish Colonialism. She donated to this cause only and elevated sum of 240,000 pesos that we know of. In today currency we are speaking about millions of dollars.