José Martí (1853-1895) is well known as the spiritual leader of Cuban independence and revolution. The famous writer and intellectual has left a rich legacy of political commentaries, speeches, poems and letters. Many of these texts have been published in both, North and South America. This article examines José Martí's reflections on economic matters and dwells on the economic relevance of his political writings. His texts are contextualised in the specific Latin American conjuncture at the end of 19th century. From this point of view some of his most important texts have to be understood as political interventions in favour of national liberation. His specific understanding of economics as a matter of trade and commerce results in privileging certain topics, mainly problems related to free trade and an American monetary union. However, there is a systematic neglect for the relations of production. / Series: SRE - Discussion Papers