Cuba Guide
Havana
Memorial Ernesto "Che" Guevara
Address: Plaza de la Revolución
The Plaza de la Revolución features the ultimate Cuban photo opportunity: the Memorial Ernesto "Che" Guevara, a stylized steel frieze replica of Alberto "Korda" Gutierrez' famous photo of Guevara – the most widely recognized image of Guevara in existence. Taken during a speech on Calle 23 in 1960, the photo, with Guevara's messianic gaze fixed on some distant horizon and hair flowing out from beneath his army beret, embodies the unwavering, zealous spirit of the Revolution. It was only in 1967 after his capture and execution in Bolivia though, that the photo passed into iconography, immortalized on T-shirts and posters throughout the 1970s as an enduring symbol of rebellion. The sculpture that you see now was forged in 1993 from steel donated by the French government.