Looking for Che Guevara in historic Santa Clara

For Ernesto “Che” Guevara enthusiasts or dedicated Marxists who believe in his dream of a Pan-American revolution, Santa Clara in Cuba’s Villa Clara province is a place of pilgrimage. In the same way that La Higuera in Bolivia is now a shrine to the Latin American revolutionary icon, Santa Clara is an important pit stop for those following El Che’s footsteps because it is here where his remains are now entombed in a mausoleum dedicated to the ill-fated band of rebels who fell in Bolivia. Many come looking for Che Guevara in historic Santa Clara.

The city played also played a big role in the myth-making of El Che’s persona as it was the scene of his biggest victory – the Battle of Santa Clara in December 1958, which directly led to the abdication of the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista on New Year’s Day of 1959. Santa Clara sits right in the middle of Cuba. Its strategic location did not go unnoticed to Fidel Castro, which is why in 1958 he ordered two of his ablest comandantes, El Che and Camilo Cienfuegos, to bring the revolution to the llanos or the plains with the intent of cutting the country in half. Should Santa Clara fall, Fidel’s band of rebels would have a clear and unimpeded route to Havana.

In hindsight, El Che’s quest for Santa Clara might have seemed quixotic. He only had around 300 fighters arrayed against an army of 2,500 that was being reinforced by an armored train. He was outnumbered 10-1, but he had always faced such odds all throughout the Sierra Maestra campaign and managed to survive. He was a man with a plan and his plan was simple: bottle up the Army garrison in Santa Clara while Fidel and Raul Castro surround Santiago in the east. So on 28 December 1958, that is exactly what his band of rebels did. They ripped out the tracks using a bulldozer to prevent the armored train from escaping and laid siege to the army positions by swarming them.

The armored train derailed at the point where the rebels ripped the tracks and was captured by the rebels. The arms bonanza taken from the train was utilized by the rebels to beat the remaining troops bottled up inside the city. Today, the site is now a memorial to the famous battle with both the armored train and the Caterpillar bulldozer enshrined.

The scene of the last battleground was Parque Leoncio Vidal, specifically at the Gran Hotel, which is now known as the Hotel Santa Clara Libre. The building’s façade still bears the bullet holes of the final battle wherein a score of pro-Batista snipers held out until the very end. Nowadays, a different kind of shooters now use the vantage point of the hotel – camera-toting tourists shooting the picturesque view below. Parque Vidal is the fulcrum of Santa Clara’s cultural life, with its museums, theaters, cafes and bars.

Until 1997, El Che’s resting place remained a big secret until retired Bolivian General Mario Vargas, who was part of the CIA-trained battalion that tracked and killed El Che, squealed to writer Jon Lee Anderson that the famous revolutionary was interred under a tarmac in the city of Vallegrande, Bolivia. His captors cut his hands off to get samples of his fingerprints. The resting place was purposely made nondescript to prevent it from becoming a shrine.

When Anderson’s story was printed, this created a big ruckus in Bolivia, which initially forced General Vargas to deny everything. However, Anderson, a sly journalist as he was, recorded all of Vargas’ statements. In the end, the Bolivian Government was forced to conduct a search of the body under international pressure. Obviously, El Che has become a huge international icon now. In contrast, his Bolivian pursuers have all been relegated to the dustbin of history, even by their own government.

So in 1997, El Che’s remains along with six others were found by a Cuban-Argentine forensic team and were repatriated in October 1997 to an appreciative Cuban regime that still remembers his sacrifices and contribution to their cause. An emotional reception was led by no less than Fidel and Raul Castro, his former comrades in Sierra Maestra. A huge mausoleum in El Che’s honor was built in the city where he achieved his greatest victory, Santa Clara.

Santa Clara and El Che’s story will now be forever intertwined. Interestingly, the famous revolutionary’s image has now transcended pop culture. While Santa Clara remembers him for his actual contribution to the liberation of the city from tyranny, El Che is more known nowadays as an icon, whose image emblazons t-shirts, caps and watches.