Zoila Águila Almeida

Almeida was born in Placetas, Cuba, about 1939. Her exact date of birth is unknown.[1] She joined Cuban revolutionaries as a combatant at age 19 or 20. She first fought against Fulgencio Batista's forces, then against Fidel Castro's forces thereafter. Her revolutionary force fought in the Las Villas mountain ranges from 1960-1964 against the Castro regime. She fought in hundreds of skirmishes during this time, eventually becoming the leader of a 12 man rebel group. Due to her youth, she became known as "La Niña de Placetas" (The Girl from Placetas) or "La Niña del Escambray" (The Girl from Escambray).[2]

She married a fellow revolutionary, former electrician Manuel Munso La Guardia,[3] and the two fought together for many years. Almeida gave birth to two daughters in the mountains of Las Villas. Both died as infants in the mountains from starvation or dehydration.[4] Almeida, her husband, and about 30 other rebels were captured by Castro's forces in 1964. The couple were sent to Villa Marista, a prison used by Castro's forces to house political prisoners. There they were separated and later tried and convicted. La Guardia was one of 12 prisoners executed by firing squad on June 22, 1964. Almeida was one of 12-18 rebels sentenced to 30 years in prison.[4]

Almeida suffered severe torture in the Castro regime's prisons and served more than half the sentence before being released as part of deal with the United States.[5] The United States and Cuba signed an agreement to release thousands of political prisoners, and Almeida was one of those released. She began living in Miami by the early 1980's.[2] She remained in the area for the remainder of her life, shunning any publicity. Almeida succumbed to COVID-19 in South Beach, Florida, on January 8, 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida.[1]