The monument was made by public subscription, headed by King Alfonso XIII himself. The location in Cartagena was decided because it was the starting point for the fleet of Cuba and for being the place of origin of a large part of the contingents of the troops.

The monument, made by the sculptor Julio González Pola in marble stone sape as pyramid, with the reliefs and the coat of arms in black marble , on the main faces present two allegorical groups and on the main part the coat of arms of Spain in bronze. other marine elements complete the decoration . In 1982 the monument to the Heroes of Cavite and Cuba was restored, replacing the allegorical groups with replicas in bronze and just as the original work, the restoration was financed with public and private subscriptions.