José Rodeiro TAMPA THE CRADLE OF CUBAN INDEPENDENCE, enamel-on-mdo, 40’ x 20,’ 1990, (Property of the City of Tampa).

With its theme of freedom and liberty, this unique Amnesis grand-manner image courageously captured Tampa’s vital role in Cuban history. All of these historical connections are documented in the writings of Anthony P. “Tony” Pizzo (Tampa’s official historian), University of South Florida’s Pizzo Collection (“José Rodeiro section”). In terms of historical information, Dr. Remember Maceo Gomez and Tony Pizzo collaborated on the mural with Rodeiro, providing historical facts, details, and pictures. Also, helpful in understanding Tampa’s role in Cuban independence is Caesar Gonzmart Jr.’s historical essay on Ybor City’s role in the Spanish American War. Ultimately, Rodeiro’s heroic vision was to create an atemporal Amnesis 2-D “Mt. Rushmore.” (Photograph by acclaimed photo-journalist Tony Lopez).