Foundation The proposal for an entourage of Cuban exiles to visit Cuba was first raised at the
Instituto de Estudios Cubanos in 1974 by
Lourdes Casal. Differing accounts would later exist as to how they got their name. One account says it was Casal's idea, while another claims the group was nameless until given the name by Cuban authorities during the group's first visit to Cuba. The travelers of the Antonio Maceo Brigade was a collection of 55 Cuban exiles, from the
United States,
Mexico, and
Spain, headed by
Lourdes Casal and Marifeli Pérez-Stable. The brigade only accepted members who had left Cuba in their youth through parental decision and did not participate in anti-Castro activities while in the United States. Many of the members were children of
Operation Pedro Pan and had been active in social movements in the United States as well as having garnered sympathies for the Cuban government. Many were contributors to the magazines
Joven Cuba and
Areito which both catered to Cuban Americans that favored dialogue with Cuba.
First trip to Cuba On December 22, 1977, the brigade took their first trip to Cuba, While some of the original brigadistas asked to permanently return to Cuba, Fidel Castro refused and believed they could be more useful to Cuba by returning home and politically dividing the exile community in the United States.
Dialogue and continued trips After the visit Fidel Castro would call for dialogues with Cuban exiles abroad. These dialogues resulted in the release of political prisoners, family unifications, and relaxing of restrictions to visit Cuba. Some of the travelers that joined after the original trip were less politically homogeneous. The travelers were still notably counter-cultural, soft drug users, pacifists, and LGBT rights advocates. The Cuban government was uncomfortable with the beliefs and cultural practices many travelers held and tried to instill ideological purity tests in the organization. The organization resisted the demand for these tests, and the Cuban government discouraged contact between exile travelers and Cuban youth. Various Cuban exiles have traveled to Cuba with the organization's assistance and the organization continues to exist today. ==Legacy==