Manuel Márquez Sterling and the Mexican Revolution, 1912–34

My paper considers the life and work of Manuel Márquez Sterling, a revolutionary, exile, journalist and diplomat. Like many young wealthy Cuban independentistas, Márquez Sterling left Cuba in the 1890s. Between 1896 and 1899, he resided in Mexico, where he was active as a member of the Cuban Revolutionary Party. Although he returned to Cuba permanently after 1899, his relationship to Mexico continued to evolve well into the twentieth century. In 1912, he became Cuba's ambassador to Madero's revolutionary government, and became known for his efforts to save Madero's life during the Decena Trágica. Devastated by the death of the president, Márquez Sterling renounced his post and resumed his career as a journalist in Cuba, but he did not turn his back on Mexico. Between 1912 and 1917, he watched the progress of the revolution closely and offered food and employment to many Maderistas and Carrancistas who fled Mexico seeking refuge. This paper considers Manuel Márquez Sterling's atypical career and the particular ways in which he bound Cuba and Mexico together during the late 19th and early 20th centuries through his travels, his actions and his writing. This examination of his life and work allows us to not only glimpse the relations between Mexico and Cuba in this tumultuous period, but also to better appreciate the ways in which they were connected by émigrés, exiles and travelers.