The monumental equestrian statue of Máximo Gómez stands at the entrance to Old Havana from the Malecón, at the end of the Paseo del Prado. Gómez was a Dominican-born general who became the supreme military commander of the Cuban independence forces — Fidel Castro called him "the greatest guerrilla fighter in history." The statue, completed in 1935, shows Gómez on horseback in full military dress.
The statue's position at the junction of the Malecón and the Paseo del Prado makes it one of the most photographed landmarks in Havana, and its surroundings — the castle walls of the Castillo de la Punta to the north, the tree-lined Prado to the south — give it a naturally dramatic setting. The park around the base of the statue is a pleasant place to sit and watch the city's evening parade on the Malecón.