Bolivia Guide
Santa Cruz and the Eastern Lowlands
La Higuera
LA HIGUERA, the hamlet where Che Guevara met his end, lies about 50km south of Vallegrande, a two- to three-hour drive drive along a rough dirt road via the slightly larger village of Pucará. Set in a region of low, crumpled mountains covered in scrubby vegetation broken by occasional maize and potato fields, La Higuera is a miserable collection of simple adobe houses with tiled roofs, many of them scrawled with revolutionary slogans. Two monuments commemorate the fallen guerrilla leader. The most recent is a large, well-made bronze bust of Che, erected in 1997 on the thirtieth anniversary of his death. The other is a small, roughly fashioned plaster bust which has been destroyed three times by the Bolivian army over the years, and replaced each time by local sympathizers.
There's also a one-room Museo Historico del Che (Thurs & Sun; $0.80), which has the atmosphere of a shrine, complete with relics including Che's machete; the wooden chair where he sat for the last time; bullets, ammo clips and a rifle used by the other guerrillas or their military pursuers. There's also a map of the campaign; plenty of photos and newspaper cuttings; and lots of leaflets and pamphlets donated by Che sympathizers. A local guide is always available at the museum and will know a great deal about the failed guerrilla campaign.
There are two options for accommodation in La Higuera: French-owned Posada de la Telegrafista (US$5-10 a night with a hot shower); or a basic community hostel at the side of the plaza (Under US$5) Alternatively, you can camp, or you may be able to persuade one of the locals to put you up; a basic shop sells soft drinks, tinned food and biscuits, but there are no restaurants.