The final major battle of the Cuban Revolution was fought in the city of Santa Clara. Under the command of Che Guevara, 340 guerrillas engaged government forces about ten times as large. In an incident that is well remembered in Cuba, a small band of the rebels (perhaps 18) derailed a government train full of troops and armaments through the use of a bulldozer and Molotov cocktails. Within 12 hours of the surrender of government forces in Santa Clara, the dictator Fulgencio Batista fled by plane to the Dominican Republic with $300 million in cash and art. A few days later, Fidel Castro and his barbeados (bearded revolutionaries) marched in triumph into Havana.
Che had numerous positions in the new government, but he savoured the role of revolutionary and continued to fight in liberation struggles in other countries, notably in the Congo. His final campaign was in Bolivia, where he was captured by government troops and executed in 1967. His remains, and those of a number of his his Cuban co-revolutionaries were subsequently located under a Bolivian runway and repatriated to Cuba in 1997.
Che and a number of fellow revolutionaries are interred in a grand mausoleum in Santa Clara. Cameras and bags are not permitted, lending an air of quasi-religious reverence. The attached museum devoted to Che complements the sanctification. There is also a monument for the armoured train skirmish. Throughout the city there are statues of Che, as well as a lot of officially sanctioned graffiti, including multiple inscriptions of Che’s most famous slogan “Hasta la Victoria Siempre” (always towards victory).
20 years ago, when I accompanied a high school band to Cuba, our guide was completely shocked that I knew who Che Guevara was. I as standing in revolutionary square in Havana and looked up at the iconic image on the huge building across the square. I told him that ever other kid in Canada and the UK had a t-shirt or hat with Che on the front, but unfortunately did not know the history behind the face. The kid in the band sue learned quickly.
Great story Mary!