Che Guevara Honored

Posted by Nicholas Gill Oct 8, 2007

Celebrations throughout Latin America mark the 40th Anniversary of the death of Argentine Revolutionary Ernesto 'Che' Guevara. the image of his beret and bearded face is one of the most reproduced images in the world and can be found on t-shirts, buttons, the sides of buses and posters throughout Latin America.

Fidel Castro, who was a close friend of Guevara, honored him in Cuba as an "exceptional combatant" and invited many of the Argentine guerrilla's relatives to attend. A similar ceremony was held in Vallegrande, Bolivia 280 miles southeast of La Paz, where the revolutionary's remains were secretly buried for nearly three decades before they were discovered and returned to Cuba.

Guevara preached the Marxist gospel to the poor and neglected and spawned guerilla movements in Cuba, El Salvador, Bolivia, and was an inspiration throughout the region. Guevara was captured and killed when hiding in Bolivia by a group supported by the CIA. He remains a controversial figures for his outspoken views, strong support of Communism, and dislike of the United States. He played a significant role in purge trials and executions of hundreds of police and army officials accused of torturing and killing opponents while Batista was in power, making him severly disliked by exhiled Cubans.