1911 Independence Medal

Known to all as the "Independence Medal" because it was conceived at the beginning of the last century to honor those who had fought to free us from the Spanish yoke, this is the most awarded medal in our republican era. That is why it is one of those pieces that we did not want to miss without dedicating a page to it.

Let's start with the history, description, and details that we have been able to gather by reviewing the decrees that originated it:

This was a decoration created by presidential decree # 129, of February 24, 1911, on the anniversary of the start of the War of Independence, to be awarded honorifically to the members of the defunct Liberating Army.

The medal is circular, with a diameter of thirty-five millimeters, attached to a ribbon and bar by two laurel branches. On its obverse, it bears the female bust symbolizing the Republic, in profile, and to the left the legend "LA PATRIA A SUS LIBERTADORES" (THE HOMELAND TO ITS LIBERATORS), while on the reverse it shows the National Shield with the inscription "GUERRA DE INDEPENDENCIA DE CUBA. 1895-1898" (CUBAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. 1895-1898).

The ribbon represents the Cuban flag and, according to the decree, should have a width of thirty-five millimeters and a total length, including the visible part through the bar, of thirty-eight millimeters. In turn, the bar, made of the same metal as the medal, would have a length of thirty-nine millimeters and a height of twelve millimeters. However, medals were made with ribbons of various sizes.

The medal consists of three classes: Gold for Generals and Chiefs, silver for Officers, and bronze for the troop class. However, most of the pieces corresponding to the first two classes were made of gilded and silver-plated metal, respectively.