Mausoleum of Che Guevara in Santa Clara (Cuba)

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Holidays in Cuba have not surprised anyone for a long time. And if you don’t want to just lie on the beach and listen to the ocean surf, but decide to get to know this country a little, visit the Che Guevara Mausoleum. This tomb of the cult hero not only of the Cuban revolution, but of all the youth of the world with leftist aspirations (or simply informally oriented) is one of the ten tombs of the globe worthy of visiting by tourists. Today we will talk about who Che Guevara was, why he deserved such fame and what can be seen in Santa Clara, where this mausoleum is located.

Description

First let's see what this tomb looks like. It is a large memorial complex, which is located on Revolution Square in the Cuban town of Santa Clara. Why exactly here? Because it is believed that at this place the famous world revolutionary won one of his most significant victories. And when this event turned 30 years old, in 1988, this complex was opened here. At first, it was not a tomb at all, but only a memorial place. In its very center stands a huge monument to the revolutionary (22 meters high), surrounded by four stelae on which hiswinged sayings and depicted scenes from the Battle of Santa Clara. Right at the foot of this giant sculpture is a museum. There you can see things that belonged to the cult hero, as well as learn about the history of his life. The Mausoleum of Che Guevara is also located under the monument and contains the remains of not only the famous revolutionary, but also his twenty-nine comrades who died with him.

How the complex was built

Construction was decided to start at this place because it offers a beautiful view of Santa Clara. And the battle near this city, as historians believe, was the last in the epic of the revolution in Cuba, which led to the coming to power of Fidel Castro. The city itself is located almost three hundred kilometers from Havana. The architects Jorge Campos and Bao Linares, as well as the sculptor Jose Dellara, participated in its creation. The mausoleum of Che Guevara was built by several hundred thousand volunteers, although experienced professionals also took part in the construction of the facility.

The symbolic meaning of the memorial

If you describe this complex in a few words, we can say that it looks like a large square with a monument in the center. Directly opposite the sculpture are shields with Fidel's sayings written in huge letters, as well as Che's famous motto "Always to victory!" The Mausoleum of Che Guevara has primarily a symbolic meaning. The revolutionary himself is depicted wearing an old leather jacket and carrying a machine gun. He seemed to be turned towards Bolivia, pointing to the place where he was de alt with. Quotes on steles and images on bas-reliefsemphasize the constant desire of this amazing person for revolutions. On some, he is carved in stone along with Fidel and other leaders of the Cuban uprising as they prepared him in the Sierra Maestra mountains. On others - as a minister of the first revolutionary government. And on some steles, a farewell letter to Fidel Castro is reproduced.

Additional sculpture groups

There are others near the main facilities of the complex. The Mausoleum of Che Guevara (Cuba) is dedicated not only to memory, but also to a description of the life of a famous revolutionary. Therefore, there is a special sculptural group depicting the Battle of Santa Clara. After all, in fact, the dictatorship of the former ruler of Cuba - Batista - was overthrown precisely thanks to the efforts of Che. When an armored train with soldiers and weapons that were riding to defend the government approached Santa Clara, the revolutionary took several tractors, with the assistance of students from the agricultural faculty of the local university, and used them to raise the rails. The armored train was not able to go further, and the military stationed there began to ask for a truce. A day later, Fulgerio Batista fled the island. This episode is reflected in the bas-reliefs of the mausoleum. By the way, the wreckage of this armored train is still in the city of Santa Clara, and you can look at them as a historical landmark.

Museum

What else is interesting in such a structure as the mausoleum of Che Guevara? A photo of the complex shows us that the statue of a romantic revolutionary can be seen from anywhere. Exactlytherefore, it is located on the outskirts, and not in the city center. And the museum, which is located under the sculpture, contains extremely interesting exhibits. Here are hundreds of the rarest photographs in which this person appears to us as a very multifaceted, diverse and unexpected person. We see him eating a hamburger or playing golf. And in some pictures he looks like a real gangster. His beret, which gained worldwide fame, is also kept here, as well as a medical diploma and an asthma inhaler.

Becoming

But why did Ernesto Che Guevara become a symbol of any revolutionary upheaval, the fight against lies and injustice? Why has his rebellious image been adopted by the omnivorous popular culture, while T-shirts and caps with his image can be bought in any market in any country? Why is the Che Guevara mausoleum in Santa Clara so attractive to tourists from all over the world? Probably, the whole thing is in the character, determination and radicalism of this heroic revolutionary. He considered his life goal not to come to power, but to constantly fight for those who turned out to be destitute, impoverished and powerless. He was born in Argentina, traveled a lot in his youth, trained as a doctor. When he traveled to different countries of Latin America, he was outraged that the elite live with money, and ordinary people do not have the opportunity to eat three times a day. The policy of the United States also contributed to this. Indeed, in Latin America there were many different corporations that collaborated with local dictators and corrupt officials.

Revolution in Cuba

In Mexico, Ernesto Che Guevara met Castro, whom he encouraged to prepare an uprising. And when they landed in Cuba with a small group of people on a small ship "Granma", only a part of the conspirators broke into the Sierra Maestra mountains. No wonder the mausoleum of Che Guevara (Cuba) has steles and bas-reliefs dedicated to this event. After all, it was with the help of the Argentine romantic that this handful of revolutionaries were able to overthrow the power of a man who relied on an army of thirty thousand. Che Guevara created his own army, where Cuban volunteers came, which is why he was nicknamed "comandante". And when Fidel came to power, Ernesto, having worked a little as a minister, decided that this was not his activity, and went on to make a world revolution.

The death of the Comandante

The stormy fate brought Che Guevara to Bolivia, whose authorities, frightened by the scope of his activities, called on American allies for help and organized a real persecution. The secret services of almost all neighboring countries tracked down the revolutionary and his comrades from his detachment. Ernesto himself constantly suffered from asthma attacks, which worsened in the Bolivian jungle, but despite this, as the evidence provided by the Che Guevara Museum and Mausoleum (Santa Clara) shows us, he provided medical assistance to both his associates and prisoners. In 1967, the location of the detachment was discovered, it was defeated, and the commandant himself was taken prisoner. Eventually the Bolivian soldiers were ordered tohis execution, and they even drew lots about who would carry it out. It is interesting that the then military dictator of Bolivia assured until the end of his life that he did not give such an order. As evidence of the murder of a revolutionary, the executioners amputated the hands of the corpse.

Burial

Bolivian General Mario Vargas Salinas, a witness to the capture and execution of Ernesto, after several decades of silence, in 1997, revealed the secret burial place of Che Guevara and his comrades. They were buried under the runway of the airfield in Vallegrande. Then the Cuban government turned to the Bolivian with a request to begin excavations at this site. And indeed, after a year and a half of searching, the corpses of people were found there. One of them had no hands. It was these bodies that the Che Guevara mausoleum (Santa Clara, Cuba) accepted for burial. They were buried there with all due military honors. Many celebrities participated in this solemn ceremony, for example, the widow of French President Mitterrand and football player Diego Maradona. The mausoleum itself, where the dead were buried, was built in the form of a partisan dugout, it is small and dark. The remains of the heroes are immured in its walls, between which there is a path like a forest, and at its end an eternal flame burns. Quiet music of guitar strings plays there all the time.

Mausoleum of Che Guevara: reviews

Most of the tourists who visit this place leave feedback full of ex altation and delight. They write that it is really a cult, iconic complex. Onlyhere, according to them, one can really understand who this great man really was, feel his extraordinary strength and charisma. After all, Che Guevara is in many ways a mysterious person, and in this place he seems to reveal himself to you. In the museum, contemplating his personal belongings, letters, weapons, as if you are immersed in that era. On the other hand, all these items have nothing to do with the revolution - they simply show Che as an ordinary person, like you and me. He commands respect, no matter what your political views are. The museum is very cool, comfortable and clean. By the way, photography and video filming is prohibited inside the mausoleum, so all visitors are checked before entering. The complex is located in the west of the city, and everyone here will tell you where the Che Guevara mausoleum is located, how to get to it. From downtown Santa Clara, it's best to walk along Martha Abre Street and you'll be there in ten minutes. By car, you need to go the same route.