Editing Gerardo Machado (section)

==Family and education==
Machado was born in 1869 as the oldest child in his family, in the central province of Las Villas (now [[Villa Clara Province|Villa Clara]]). He had two younger siblings, a brother named Carlos and a sister named Consuelo. He and his siblings grew up on their family's cattle farm, during a period when their father served with Cuban rebels in the [[Ten Years' War]] against [[Spain]] (1868–1878). His father attained the rank of [[Major (rank)|major]]. The war ended without Cuba achieving independence. When he was in his early 20s, Machado engaged in growing and selling tobacco.

As a young man, he married Elvira Machado Nodal (28 October 1868 in Villa Clara – 1968). They had three daughters together: Laudelina (Nena), Ángela Elvira, and Berta.