Page 182 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Cuba

180  CUBA REGION B Y REGION

The group of sculptures in Santa Clara, dedicated to Che Guevara
P Conjunto Escultórico which clearly reveals the evo- remains of Che and 38 other
Comandante Ernesto Che lution of his revolu tionary ideas. comrades, found in Bolivia
Guevara Che’s personal effects include 30 years after their death
Avenida de los Desfiles, Santa Clara. his pistol holster, his uniform, and transferred to Cuba in
Tel (42) 205 878. Open 9:30am–5pm watch, pipe, the container from December 1998. The tomb
Tue–Sun. & 8 ^ in the memorial, which he used to drink mate is in the shape of a cave and
museum or tomb. tea, his beret and the telephone consists of numbers of niches
The monument in Plaza de la he used during the campaign with ossuaries as well as a
Revolución was built to comm- of Santa Clara, along with his central brazier where an
emorate the 30th anniversary of binoculars, camera and radio. eternal flame burns. Cubans
the battle of Santa Clara. It was The newest construction is flock here in order to pay
designed by the architect Jorge the memorial containing the their respects.
Cao Campos and the sculptor
José Delarra, and was unveiled
on 28 December 1988. Ernesto Che Guevara
The complex comprises When Ernesto Guevara
a museum, a memorial and de la Serna was killed in
the grave of Che Guevara. Bolivia upon orders from
Dominating the monument is the CIA, he was only
an impressive bronze statue 39 years old. In the
of Che, with his arm in plaster summer of 1997 – while
(he had broken it in a previous Cuba was celebrating
battle). Beneath, a bas-relief the 30th anniversary
depicts scenes from the battle, of the death of the
on which are carved the guerrillero heroico – the
historic words that Che wrote body of Che Guevara
in his farewell letter before was returned to the
leaving for Bolivia. island. He was one of
Under the monument (the only two foreigners in The photographer Korda with his famous
entrance is at the back) is the the history of Cuba (the portrait of Che Guevara
museum, designed by the other is the Dominican
archi tect Blanca Hernández general Máximo Gómez) to be proclaimed a Cuban citizen “by
Guivernau, which has some of birth”. Watching his coffin being lowered from the aeroplane to
Che’s personal belongings on the sound of the Suite de las Américas served to remind everyone,
display, together with a chrono- especially young Cubans, that Che had died and had therefore
logical reconstruction of his life, really existed; he was not merely a 20th-century legend, but a
reality for millions of people who had shared his ideas. Further
testimony is given by his children, his widow Aleida March, many
of those who fought with him in the Sierra Maestra and in the
Congo, and also Alberto Granado, with whom Che made his first
trips to Latin America and who, after the Revolution, moved to
Cuba on his friend’s invitation. Though Che suffered from asthma,
he had an iron will, loved books as well as sports, and had a
great spirit of sacrifice; he could appreciate beauty and was a
perfectionist but had a sense of humour. He was a man of
action who also found time to meditate on reality and to write.
Part of the bas-relief memorial to
Che Guevara
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp259–60 and pp273–4

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