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Che Guevara Mausoleum Santa Clara Cuba

Santa-Clara-Che-Guevara-Mausoleum

Santa Clara is home to a mausoleum in which the remains of Che Guevara and six of his fellow combatants are located. The complete area features a 6.7 meter (22 foot) bronze statue of Che and is referred to locally as the Ernesto Guevara Sculptural Complex.

Che-Guevara-Memorial-Santa-Clara

Che Guevara was buried with full military honors on 17 October 1997 after his exhumed remains were discovered in Bolivia and returned to the land in which he remains a national hero of almost cult status. At the mausoleum, there is an interesting museum dedicated to Che Guevara’s entire life featuring an eternal flame lit by Fidel Castro in Che’s memory.

Che-Guevara-Mausoleum-Santa Clara

Santa Clara was the natural choice for mausoleum as it is the site of the final battle in which Guevara’s troops triumphantly took this last city on December 31, 1958 in what is known as the Battle of Santa Clara. This final battle is beheld by the Cuban Revolution as the turning point in the countries future when the dictator Fulgencio Batista fled into exile.

Train Che Guevara Santa Clara

Nearby, in another part of the city, a Fulgencio Batista military supply train which was derailed by Guevara’s men during the battle remains in its original location, serving as reconstruction of Guevara’s heroic exploits.

In addition to the remains of Che Guevara the six other Cuban guerrillas are; Carlos Coello, Alberto Fernandez Montes de Oca, Orlando Pantoja Tamayo, René Martínez Tamayo, Juan Pablo Navarro-Lévano Chang, Simeon Cuba Sarabia. All lost their lives in the 1966-1967 Bolivian Insurgency and are also entombed in the mausoleum.

It is estimated that over 5 million people from over 100 countries have visited the memorial since 1997.