At the end of the Cuban War of Independence, in 1898, it was abandoned until 1903, when the barracks became the seat of the rural guard and the headquarters of Las Villas Province, led by General José de Jesús Monteagudo, who in 1902 replaced the Major General Alejandro Rodríguez Velasco.

It constituted, by its defensive capacity, the third military barracks of Cuba during the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.

During the Battle of Santa Clara, in 1958, it was taken by the rebel troops led by Ernesto Guevara.

[citation needed] Part of the "Cultural Complex Abel Santamaría" (Spanish: Complejo Cultural Abel Santamaría), it occupies its main building and is located over a hillock, in Dobarganes (Osvaldo Herrera) quarter.

[1] The museum counts a collection of art, social and natural history related to its province.