Manuel Ascunce Domenech

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Ascunce and the second or maternal family name is Domenech.

Manuel Ascunce Domenech (January 25, 1945 – November 26, 1961) was a Cuban teacher who participated in the Cuban Literacy Campaign of 1961.

Manuel Ascunce Domenech
Tomb of Ascunce at Cementerio Cristóbal Colón
Born	Sagua la Grande, Las Villas Province, Cuba January 25, 1945
Died	November 26, 1961(1961-11-26) (aged 16) Limones Cantero, Sancti Spíritus, Cuba
Cause of death	Murder
Monuments	Manuel Ascunce Domenech Monument in Sancti Spiritus
Nationality	Cuban
Occupation	Educator
Years active	1959–1961
Organization	Government of Cuba
Known for	Murder during literacy program

Biography

Born in Sagua la Grande to Manuel Ascunce Hernandez and Evelia Domenech Sacerio, Ascunce grew up with his family in Havana, where he attended primary and secondary school in the Luyanó neighborhood. In the early 1960s, he joined the Asociación de Jóvenes Rebeldes, formed after the Cuban Revolution, later joining as a brigade member for the National Literacy Campaign of Cuba, specifically to the "Conrado Benítez" brigade.^[1]

In his brief career as a literacy educator, he moved to the mountains to teach night classes, while during the day he helped locals in the fields.^[2] He was captured and subsequently murdered in 1961 by a group of Cuban counterrevolutionaries under order of Julio Emilio Carretero Escajadillo while staying at the home of his student Pedro Lantigua Ortega, who also was killed. He was 16 years old.^[3] In December of that year, he was commemorated by Fidel Castro, along with others who died during the literary campaign. He is buried at the Colon Cemetery in Havana.

Legacy

A monument dedicated to him was erected in Sancti Spiritus.^[4]

In 1962, the Manuel Ascunce Hospital was named in his honor, ^[5] and in 1972, Manuel Ascunce Domenech Pedagogal University was named in his honor as well.^[6]