Margarito Lanza Flores

Margarito Lanza Flores (1938 – 2 March 1962), known as Tondique, was a Cuban rebel peasant and an active participant in the Escambray rebellion. He was one of the first Afro-Cubans to fight against Fidel Castro's government, leading a rebel unit and leading the uprising in northern Las Villas. He was captured and executed by government forces.

Born into a poor Afro-Cuban farming family in Carralillo, in Las Villas, he received a primary education. From a young age, he worked on farms in Sagua la Grande. According to those who knew him, he was known for his hard work, good character, and lack of legal issues. There are varying opinions about Lanza Flores' stance during the Cuban Revolution. Some sources claim he participated in the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista, but it is more commonly said that he remained apolitical until 1960.

Shortly after Fidel Castro came to power, Cuba passed its first Agrarian Reform Law. Lanza Flores' small farm was neither divided nor confiscated. He, like other Afro-Cuban peasants, belonged to the poor farming class, and the new authorities clearly favored these groups. The agrarian reform might have even been beneficial for him. However, Margarito Lanza Flores was anti-communist and, regardless of his personal views, hostile to Castro's government. In 1960, he joined the Escambray rebellion. This position was rare among Afro-Cubans, who mostly supported Castro at the time.