Camilo Cienfuegos

Camilo Cienfuegos was one of the most beloved commanders of the rebel army that overthrew Batista, fighting alongside Fidel Castro and Che Guevara in the Sierra Maestra and leading a celebrated march across the island.

Known for his warmth and easy popularity, he became a leading figure in the new government almost immediately after the revolution's victory in 1959.

His sudden disappearance came just days after he arrested fellow commander Huber Matos, who had resigned in protest at the revolution's turn toward communism. The official story — a small plane lost at sea with no wreckage ever found — satisfied few. Many Cubans have long suspected that a popular, independent-minded commander had become inconvenient to those consolidating absolute power.

Whatever the truth, his death set a pattern that would repeat for decades: those who questioned the new rulers had a way of vanishing. His disappearance at the age of 27 made him an enduring, and for many a haunting, figure in Cuban memory.