Che's Return to the City He Never Left

Twenty-five years ago, on October 17^th, 1997, the remains of Ernesto Guevara de la Serna and his fellow fighters in Bolivia were placed at the Mausoleum in the square named after him in Santa Clara.

It had to be in Santa Clara, the city where the Heroic Guerrilla fighter had fought one of his most mythical battles in December 1958.

There he returned many times, and received the fondness and admiration that he always shared. The Plaza de la Revolución, which was inaugurated there in 1988, with its huge sculpture created by artist José Delarra, was dedicated to Ernesto Guevara.

Since then, Santa Clara has been in the popular imagination, "the city of Che".

When, thanks to an intense field work, in which renowned researchers participated, the mortal remains of the legendary guerrilla assassinated in Bolivia appeared, the choice could not be another: the final rest was going to be in Santa Clara.

After the tribute in Havana and in the city of Santa Clara, the urns arrived at the mausoleum.

On the morning of October 17^th, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz paid tribute to him in front of a crowd.

There he delivered a memorable speech:

“We are not here to say goodbye to Che and his heroic companions. We come’ve to welcome you.

«I see Che and his men as reinforcements, as a detachment of invincible combatants, (...) who come to fight alongside us and write new pages of history and glory.

«I also see Che as a moral giant who grows every day, whose image, whose strength, whose influence have multiplied throughout the world.

"How could he fit under a tombstone?

How could he fit in this square?

“How could it fit only on our dear but small island?

"Only in the world he dreamed of, lived for, and fought for there’s enough room for him."

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff