1956: M-26-7 Set up Camp at Purial de Vicana

Cuba History Timeline Events
December 18, 1956
The Castro brothers and the other ten 26th of July Movement Granma expedition survivors established a ramshackle camp at Purial de Vicana in the Sierra Maestra. Fidel Castro begins to establish contacts with his followers in the rest of the country. He correctly assesses that his success depends on winning the propaganda battle rather than on combat with Batista’s armed forces. To that end he establishes a secret courier service to Havana.

Castro Forces at Camp cDecember 1956. (photo: UPI)

(L to R): Guillermo Garcia, Ernesto "Ché" Guevara, Universo Sanchez,
Raul Castro (kneeling), Fidel Castro and Crescencio Perez (standing),
George Sotus and Juan Almeida, (seated)

based on Manuel Márquez-Sterling's Cuba 1952-1959 and
Cuba 1952-1959 Interactive Timeline