The Obelisco de Mariano is the most representative and symbolic monument of Mariano, a municipality of Havana that lies about 10 km southwest of the Old Havana. It is erected in the center of the ellipsoid Finlay square (or Marianao Plaza), that facilitates the transit between the Aveinida 31 (former Columbia road) and the 100th street (former Menocal Avenue).

In 1898, when the Spanish-Cuban-American War ended, the occupation army of the US established a camp for its soldiers in Marianao, in a large area south to the current Obelisco de Marianao. The area of the barracks was called as Campamento Militar de Columbia, as the original headquarter of the regiment, consisting of infantry volunteers, was in Columbia, South Carolina.

In 1900, an open area behind the barracks was assigned to Dr. Carlos J. Finlay to conduct his scientific experiments to prove his theory about the transmission mode of yellow fever.

The Columbia barracks was the most important military headquarters in 1930s. A group of soldiers, headed by Fulgencio Batista, took the advantage of the asylum of the President Gerardo Lorenzo Machado Morales to the Columbia barracks, and seized the power by starting  a military coup d’état against the dictator in the Columbia barracks. After this date, Fulgencio demolished the old wooden constructions and build new buildings for his subordinates and their families, so that the area of the of Camp Columbia turned gradually into a military city by addition of new facilities day by day, such as polygon, post and telegraph office, school and hospitals.

In 1944, a roundabout with an obelisk in its center, was built in commemoration of the military coup d’état in 1933 in front of the main entrance of the Columbia camp. The square and the obelisk was inaugurated on September 4, 1944, referring to the date of military coup d’état. Thus, the square was called as Plaza Cívica 4 de Septiembre.

The four buildings around the roundabout were inaugurated at the same time with the obelisk. However, during the National Medical Assembly in 1948, four years after the inauguration of the obelisk, Toribio Martín, the historian and the delegate of the Medical School of Marianao made a motion on behalf of the Marianenses doctors  and demanded the President Ramón Grau San Martín to transform the square with the obelisk to a monument to pay tribute to Dr. Carlos J. Finlay. Even though, the events had tied Grau to Batista since 1933, in some measure presented with a fait accompli, Grau was not happy of the attitude of Batista to him that was using great pressure on him through skillful political maneuvers that also received great support of the American Ambassador Jefferson Caffery. Thus, Grau accepted the request and since then the obelisk was dedicated to Dr. Carlos J. Finlay.

The Cuban scientist and epidemiologist doctor Carlos Juan Finlay de Barrés (1833-1915) gained international recognition for his explanation of the transmission of yellow fever by the female of the species of mosquito that is known as Aedes aegypti. Dr. Finlay’s discovery eventually led to the abolition of yellow fever and the saving of innumerable lives throughout the Caribbean, South America, Africa, and the United States. He also discovered and solved the childhood tetanus. He was proposed several times for the Nobel Prize for his research and scientific contribution to the public health.

Apart from being a monument, the obelisk had also another function: it served as a beacon for the airplanes that were using the old airport of the Columbia barracks. A lighthouse was placed at the top of the obelisk to achieve its function in guidance. It still exists.After the revolution, the walls of the Camp Columbia were demolished by Camilo Cienfuegos to convert the military city into an educational center, to the Ciudad Escolar Libertad (Liberty School City). Since then, some primary and secondary schools, schools for music and plastic arts and educational institutions, like the Enrique José Varona Higher Pedagogical Institute, are built in the area. Nowadays, the obelisk is popularly called as the Obelisco de Marianao.

The people of Havana did not forget the contribution of Carlos J. Finlay (1833-1915), the eminent scientist in their life and erected several monuments to his memory. One of his monuments is a bronze plaque on a stone wall, showing his image with the shield of the Lions Club of Marianao. It is located at the entrance of the 47th street in the neighborhood of Kohly, just after the exit of the Almendares bridge. It is the work of the Cuban sculptor Mario Santí García and it was erected by the Lions Club of Marianao in 1947. The place is far from Marianao, but most of the wealthy and aristocratic families, the promoters of the monument, that were living in this coveted neighborhood, were the members of the Lions Club of Marianao.

At the intersection of the street 90-A and the 61st street in the Pogolotti neighborhood, there is the Parque Lazear. where you will see a stone wall. On this stone wall, there are several bronze images of Carlos J. Finlay and some of his collaborators, like Walter Reed, Lazear y Otros, Ramón Claudio Delgado Amestoy, among others. If you are sure to visit this park that consists of a few benches and the commemorative wall in a neighborhood, where it is difficult to find any street sign, it is recommended to take first the 100th street after the obelisk until the corner of the street 61, and then proceed to the left until you will find the park that is about 750 meters far from the 100th street.

The park very close to the obelisk, at the intersection of the 31st and the 82nd streets, is called Finlay Park. Once the place was occupied by the Lions Club of Marianao; today it is the Alejandro García Caturla Music School.

There are two parks more dedicated to Finlay: Carlos J. Finlay Park on the Padre Varela street close to the Modern Partagas Cigar Factory, and the other Carlos J. Finlay Park in front of the Museo Histórico de Las Ciencas Carlos J. Finlay on the Cuba street, where it intersects with the Amargura street.

In 1980’s, when the construction works of the Panama Channel was delayed because of the high mortality of the staff due to yellow fever, the studies of Finlay improved the situation considerably, so that the administration of the channel erected a plaque to pay homage to Dr. Finlay because of his huge contribution to the improvement  of the working conditions.

Cuba, Spain and Argentina celebrate December 3, the birthday of Dr. Finlay, as the Doctor’s Day.