José Ignacio Martí Santa Cruz was a former student at the University of Villanueva in Havana, Cuba. Prior to his death, Martí was studying to be a chemical engineer.

On December 27, 1958, while at the Bay Honda, near the city of Guajaybon, Martí and the ACU group he was with, was captured by troops of Batista’s army under the command of Captain Jacinto Garcia-Menocal. Martí was tortured by the troops and hanged the next day, December 28. He was only twenty-one years of age at the time of his death.

Only a month later, Captain Menocal committed suicide when he and his brigade were surrounded by Rebel Army troops in Pinar Del Rio.

José Ignacio Martí Santa Cruz was honored in the Wall of Martyrs on May 20, 2009 for his bravery in fighting the oppressive Cuban government under Fulgencio Batista in his short time on the Earth. He, just like his honored peers, is a symbol of all of the men and women who gave their lives for Cuba.