José María Heredia (1803 -1839)

Heredia is considered as being the first Cuban poet to voice the longing of freedom felt by many Cubans. Born in Santiago de Cuba in 1803, this poet and journalist spent his earliest years traveling with his parents around Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico and Santo Domingo.

He completed his schooling in Havana and in 1823, was exiled from the island due to his liberal and revolutionary political ideas. He lived in the United States for a time and later moved to Mexico, where he settled permanently and practiced law, besides publishing literary works.

Two of his best known poems are “On the Teocalli of Cholula” (written in 1820) and “Niagara” (written in 1824). A bronze bust of Heredia stands in Niagara Falls along with the Ode he dedicated to this natural landscape.