He was born in Bayamo, in July 29th, 1819 and died in August 17th, 1870. His elementary studies took place in the Convent of Santo Domingo at his hometown. Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and Francisco Vicente Aguilera, were among his classmates. He continued his studies in Havana and later in Spain. He graduted in Laws, travelled again to Spain and visited several European countries. In 1851, together with Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, he settled “La Filarmónica”, Bayamo´s great cultural center. Since 1852 he was under surveillance being suspect of unfaithfulness to the colonial government, and in 1854 he was forced to live in Havana. In 1857, together with José Quintín Suzarte and Domingo Guillermo de Arozarena he published some works in El Correo de la Tarde and in La Piragua. From them, “Excursión a la gran sabana de Yara” and the counterdance “La Piragua” have arrived to our days. He also wrote some articles on Cuban folklore. He returned to Bayamo in 1858, and in 1861 he was sentenced to 14 months of home arrest, so his house became a conspiracy center and was the place where the Revolutionary Committee of Bayamo was settled.
In the dawn of August 14th, 1867, he composed “La Bayamesa”, combat march which would lead the revolutionary forces in Bayamo; nowadays National Anthem of Cuba. That very night he played it on the piano, when the Revolutionary Committee of Bayamo was settled, and it was played in June 11th, 1868, while the Corpus Christi religious celebration was taking place in the San Salvador de Bayamo church, conducted by Maestro Manuel Muñoz Cedeño. In October 10th, 1868 Céspedes’uprising took placein La Demajagua sugar-mill and Figueredo folowed him, joining to the Liberator Army (Mambises) and became General. In October 20th of that very year, during the seize of Bayamo City, the people asked Perucho the lyrics of “La Bayamesa” music which everybody knew, and began singing all together. In August 11th, 1870, being sick of typhus, he was taken prisoner because of the Spanish troops’fierce harrasment to some rebel families, including his. He was shot by a firing squad, together with Rodrigo and Ignacio Tamayo sentenced for being “unfaithful” to the Country.