Long before Raul Castro became Cuba's president, his wife Vilma Espin had already emerged as one of the most recognizable women of the Cuban Revolution.
Espin, who died in 2007 at age 77, was widely considered Cuba's unofficial first lady for decades and remained one of the Communist Party's most influential women until her death.
Vilma Espin fought alongside Fidel and Raul Castro, joining the rebel movement in the Sierra Maestra mountains where she met Raul Castro while fighting alongside guerrilla forces.
The couple had four children together: Alejandro, Mariela, Deborah, and Nilsa, with their son Alejandro becoming a brigadier general within Cuba's Ministry of the Interior.
Espin became a powerful figure inside Cuba's Communist Party, an international voice for women's rights, and frequently represented Cuba at global conferences.
Despite speculation about their marriage, Raul Castro and Espin frequently appeared together at official events, with Raul Castro visibly emotional during her memorial service in 2007.
