The ex-CIA agent claims that the Che Guevara mausoleum in Cuba is empty. Che Guevara's grave Additional sculptural groups

Holidays in Cuba have long been a surprise. And if you do not want to just lie on the beach and listen to the ocean surf, but have decided to get to know this country a little, visit the Che Guevara mausoleum. This tomb of the cult hero not only of the Cuban revolution, but of all the youth of the world with left-wing aspirations (or simply informally oriented) is one of the ten tombs of the world worthy of a visit by tourists. Today we will tell you about who Che Guevara was, why he earned such fame and what can be seen in Santa Clara, where this mausoleum is located.

Description

First, let's see what this tomb looks like. It is a large memorial complex, which is located on the Revolution Square in the Cuban town of Santa Clara. Why exactly here? Because it is believed that at this place the famous world revolutionary won one of his most significant victories. And when this event turned thirty years old, in 1988, this complex was opened here. At first, it was not a burial vault at all, but only a memorial place. In its very center there is a huge monument to the revolutionary (22 meters high), surrounded by four steles, on which his winged sayings are engraved and scenes from the battle for Santa Clara are depicted. There is a museum right at the foot of this giant sculpture. There you can see things that belonged to the cult hero, as well as learn about the history of his life. The mausoleum of Che Guevara is also located under the monument and contains the remains of not only the famous revolutionary, but also his twenty-nine comrades who died with him.

How the complex was built

It was decided to start construction on this site because it offers a beautiful view of Santa Clara. And the battle near this city, as historians believe, was the last in the epic of the revolution in Cuba, which led to the coming to power of Fidel Castro. The city itself is located almost three hundred kilometers from Havana. Architects Jorge Campos and Bao Linares, as well as the sculptor Jose Dellara, participated in its creation. Several hundred thousand volunteers built the Che Guevara mausoleum, although experienced professionals also took part in the construction of the facility.

The symbolic meaning of the memorial

If we describe this complex in a few words, we can say that it looks like a large square with a monument in the center. Directly opposite the sculpture are shields, where Fidel's sayings are written in huge letters, as well as Che's famous motto "Always see you victory!" The mausoleum of Che Guevara is primarily of symbolic significance. The revolutionary himself is depicted wearing an old leather jacket and with a submachine gun. He seems to be turned towards Bolivia, pointing to the place where he was dealt with. Quotes on the steles and images on the bas-reliefs emphasize the constant desire of this amazing man for revolution. On some, it is carved in stone, along with Fidel and other leaders of the uprising in Cuba, as they prepared it in the Sierra Maestra mountains. On others, as minister of the first revolutionary government. And on some steles, a farewell letter to Fidel Castro is reproduced.

Additional sculptural groups

There are others near the main buildings of the complex. The Mausoleum of Che Guevara (Cuba) is dedicated not only to the memory, but also to the description of the life of the famous revolutionary. Therefore, there is a special sculptural group depicting the Battle of Santa Clara. Indeed, in fact, the dictatorship of the former ruler of Cuba - Batista - was overthrown precisely thanks to the efforts of Che. When an armored train with soldiers and weapons, who were traveling to defend the government, approached Santa Clara, the revolutionary took several tractors with the assistance of students of the agrarian department of the local university and used them to raise the rails. The armored train was not able to go further, and the military stationed there began to ask for an armistice. A day later, Fulgerio Batista fled from the island. This episode is reflected in the bas-reliefs of the mausoleum. By the way, the wreckage of this armored train is still in the city of Santa Clara, and you can look at them as a historical landmark.

Museum

What else is interesting in such a structure as Che Guevara's mausoleum? A photo of the complex shows us that the statue of the romantic revolutionary can be seen from anywhere. That is why it is located on the outskirts, and not in the city center. And the museum, which is located under the sculpture, contains extremely interesting exhibits. There are hundreds of rare photographs in which this person appears before us as very multifaceted, diverse and unexpected. We see him eating a hamburger or playing golf. And in some pictures, he looks just like a real gangster. It also houses his beret, which has gained worldwide fame, as well as a medical diploma and an asthma inhaler.

Becoming

But why did Ernesto Che Guevara become a symbol of any revolutionary upheaval, the fight against lies and injustice? Why was his rebellious image adopted by the omnivorous mass culture, and T-shirts and caps with his image can be bought in any market in any country? Why is Che Guevara's mausoleum in Santa Clara so attractive for tourists from all over the world? Probably, it's all about the character, determination and radicalism of this heroic revolutionary. He considered his life goal not to come to power, but to constantly fight for those who turned out to be disadvantaged, destitute and disenfranchised. He was born in Argentina, traveled a lot in his youth, trained to be a doctor. When he traveled to different countries in Latin America, he was outraged by the fact that the elite live by littering with money, and ordinary people do not have the opportunity to eat three times a day. This was also facilitated by US policy. Indeed, in Latin America there were many different corporations that collaborated with the local dictators and corrupt officials.

Revolution in Cuba

In Mexico, Ernesto Che Guevara met Castro, whom he encouraged to prepare for the uprising. And when he and a small group of people on a small boat "Granma" landed in Cuba, only part of the conspirators broke through into the Sierra Maestra mountains. No wonder the mausoleum of Che Guevara (Cuba) has steles and bas-reliefs dedicated to this event. After all, it was with the help of the Argentine romantic that this handful of revolutionaries were able to overthrow the power of a man who relied on an army of thirty thousand. Che Guevara created his own army, where Cuban volunteers came, that's why he was nicknamed "commandante". And when Fidel came to power, Ernesto, having worked a little as a minister, decided that this was not his activity, and went on to make a world revolution.

The death of the commandant

A stormy fate brought Che Guevara to Bolivia, the authorities of which, frightened by the scale of his activities, called on the American allies for help and organized a real persecution. The secret services of almost all neighboring countries tracked down the revolutionary and comrades from his detachment. Ernesto himself constantly suffered from asthma attacks, which worsened in the Bolivian jungle, but despite this, as evidenced by the museum and the mausoleum of Che Guevara (Santa Clara) shows us, he provided medical assistance to both his comrades-in-arms and the prisoners. In 1967, the location of the detachment was discovered, it was defeated, and the commander himself was taken prisoner. In the end, the Bolivian soldiers received an order to shoot him, and they even drew lots about who would carry it out. Interestingly, the then military dictator of Bolivia assured until the end of his life that he did not give such an order. As evidence of the murder of the revolutionary, the executioners amputated the hands of the corpse.

Burial

Bolivian general Mario Vargas Salinas, a witness to the capture and execution of Ernesto, after several decades of silence, in 1997, revealed the secret burial place of Che Guevara and his comrades. They were buried under the airstrip at Vallegrande. Then the Cuban government asked the Bolivian government to begin excavations at this site. Indeed, after a year and a half of searches, the bodies of people were found there. One of them had no hands. It was these bodies that were accepted for burial by the mausoleum of Che Guevara (Santa Clara, Cuba). They were buried there with all the honors of the military. The ceremony was attended by many celebrities, such as the widow of French President Mitterrand and football player Diego Maradona. The mausoleum itself, where the dead were buried, was built in the form of a partisan dugout, it is small and dark. The remains of the heroes are walled up in its walls, between which there is a path like a forest, and at its end an eternal fire burns. Quiet music of guitar strings is playing there all the time.

Mausoleum of Che Guevara: reviews

Most of the tourists who visit this place leave responses full of exaltation and delight. They write that this is a truly iconic, iconic complex. Only here, according to them, it is possible to really understand who this great man really was, to feel his extraordinary strength and charisma. After all, Che Guevara is in many ways a mysterious person, and in this place he seems to be revealed in front of you. In the museum, contemplating his personal belongings, letters, weapons, it is as if you are immersed in that era. On the other hand, all these are objects that have nothing to do with the revolution - they simply show Che as an ordinary person, such as you and me. He commands respect, no matter what your political views. The museum is very cool, comfortable and clean. By the way, photography and video filming is prohibited inside the mausoleum, so all visitors are checked before entering. The complex is located in the west of the city, and everyone here will show you where Che Guevara's mausoleum is, how to get to it. From the center of Santa Clara, it is best to walk along Martha Abrue Street and in ten minutes you will be there. By car, you need to go along the same route.

Fresh review

In general, it is believed that Sharjah is such a not very cool emirate. Well compared to Dubai. But apparently recently Sharjah has pulled up a lot in terms of building new beautiful skyscrapers.

Well, again, by the time we rode in Sharjah, we had not yet been to Dubai, and therefore Sharjah seemed to us quite cool in terms of development. I've seen enough multi-storey cities - this is both, and, and even a new one, but Sharjah wins in terms of the density of skyscrapers. Maybe in this parameter it can be compared with it, but in Urumqi the skyscrapers are quite unpretentious - in architecture they are similar to monochrome boxes, not all, but many. And here everything is different, modern, unique.

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MEXICO, 24 Mar - RIA Novosti, Mikhail Beliat. The ashes of the legendary revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara, who died in 1967 in the Bolivian jungle, still rests in this country, and not in the mausoleum of the city of Santa Clara in Cuba. With this statement made on Saturday in the Miami Herald newspaper 71-year-old CIA veteran Gustavo Villoldo (Gustavo Villoldo).

According to Villoldo, in 1967 he participated in a joint operation by the Bolivian intelligence services and the CIA to defeat the guerrilla group led by Che after he left Cuba "to continue the revolution in Latin America."

Che Guevara died under unclear circumstances. According to the authorities and the CIA leadership, he was killed in action. However, many sources claim that the wounded Che was captured and was shot by punishers after being tortured.

The former agent does not say anything about the circumstances of the death of the revolutionary, referring to the fact that he was not present at his death. However, Viloldo said he was one of five CIA officers tasked with secretly burying the bodies of Che Guevara and two other partisans of his group in the vicinity of the Bolivian city of Vallegrand.

“It fell to me to pick up Che's body from the hospital morgue and deliver it to the burial place. Everything happened at night. We quickly dug a hole and put the dead partisans into it. But before lowering Che into it, I cut off a strand of his hair. on the map and marked the grave on it. ”So, when, 30 years after these events, in 1997, I read that representatives of the Cuban government had transported Che's remains to a specially erected mausoleum in Santa Clara, I realized that the Havana authorities were either mistaken , or deliberately misled the world, "- said the veteran.

Cubans said they found a mass grave near Vallegrand Airport. Among the remains of seven people who were in it, they allegedly identified the body of Che Guevara, and then carried out repeated tests at a local hospital. These remains were transported to Cuba and placed in the mausoleum.

"This cannot be. The dead are not given to multiply - in the mass grave, where Che still rests, besides him, there should be the remains of only two people, but not six. In addition, we buried him in a completely different place, where neither the airfield, nor the runway was not even close. The burial place marked on my map does not at all coincide with the coordinates of the modern Vallegrand airport. In any case, a lock of Che's hair is still with me and I insist on a DNA examination and comparing the results with the analyzes of the one who now rests in the mausoleum of Santa Clara, "- said Gustavo Villoldo.

This part of the story about a two-week stay in Cuba will be very short. We headed south of the island to see the cities of Trinidad ( Trinidad) and Cienfuegos ( Cienfuegos), and on the way to call in Santa Clara ( Santa clara), where the mausoleum of Che Guevara is located. I don't want to combine the story about this memorial complex with the beginning of a walk in Trinidad, so I am highlighting it in a separate post, which will contain only 10 photos.

The middle part of Cuba, south of the province of Matanzas and up to the northern spurs of the Sierra del Escambray, is flat and inexpressive. Along the sparse asphalt roads, there are mainly fruit and tobacco plantations, but most often - wastelands overgrown with grass and rare palm trees. There is nothing to catch your eye, beautiful groves of royal palms, like along the Varadero-Havana highway, you will not find here. The asphalt, however, is of acceptable quality. Traffic is one car in half an hour, and even that, in fact, turns out to be a tourist bus.

Somewhere at the entrance to Santa Clara, not far from the collective farm that was going to defeat America with a record harvest of oranges, next to another trap for tourists (3 cookies each, souvenirs and the opportunity to take pictures with exotic animals) parked another chrome-plated wonder mobile. Multiple stencil prints are designed to reveal to us the rich inner world of a happy car owner.

Santa Clara, the administrative center of the province of Villa Clara, was founded in 1689 by settlers from the coastal town of San Juan de los Remedios ( San Juan de los Remedios), who fled inland from the constant attacks of pirates. For several centuries the settlement has changed several names, the most amusing of which was "Anton Diaz's New Village" - Pueblo Nuevo de Antón Díaz... Little known before, the city entered world history thanks to the last major battle of the Cuban revolution - the Battle of Santa Clara, and since October 1997, when the ashes were brought here commandant Guevara, has become a place of worship for representatives of the left movement around the world.

In general, there is nothing to see in the city itself, and this is readily confirmed by the locals. By and large, there are only two significant sights here. In addition to the main one, Che's mausoleum, a bulldozer was also installed on the opposite outskirts of Santa Clara, with the help of which partisans under the command of a frantic Argentine demolished a freight train from the tracks, which was in a hurry to deliver ammunition to Batista's troops defending the city. The same small part of the city that we were able to see resembled the usual "sleeping" areas of large Russian cities, adjusted for Cuban desolation. In general, our stay in the capital of the province of the same name was limited only to a visit to the cult memorial.

Aprendimos a quererte
desde la histórica altura
donde el Sol de tu bravura
le puso cerco a la muerte.*

Aquí se queda la clara,
la entrañable transparencia,
de tu querida presencia,
Comandante Che Guevara.

About the commander (major) of the revolutionary armed forces of the Republic of Cuba, Argentine Ernesto "Che" Guevara ( Ernesto "Che" Guevara, 1928-67) is known by almost everyone. At least the official version of his biography, more like a legend. All this is long and tedious, but the two-part film "Che" ( Che , 2008, dir. Stephen Soderbergh). In his youth, having traveled on a motorcycle a decent part of South and Central America, he gained Marxist ideas, met the exiled Fidel, returned with him to Cuba to take part in the revolution, becoming one of its leaders. After the victory fidelistas Guevara tried unsuccessfully to "export the revolution" to Congo (1965) and Bolivia (1966), where he was eventually captured, shot and rolled into the concrete of the runway. Nevertheless, in modern reality, Che is better known for a stylized print from a photograph of Alberto Korda, which can be found on the T-shirt of a drug addict beggar, an ideological communist, a small or medium-sized business owner, as well as an ordinary club party girl from Russian Murmansk to Australian Sydney.

Work on the construction of the memorial was carried out from 1982 to 1988. In addition to specialists, architects and sculptors, up to half a million residents of Santa Clara took part in the creation of this iconic place, which is especially emphasized by the Cuban authorities. Interestingly, the official opening ceremony of the monument was led by Raul Castro, Fidel's brother, and the leader of the Island of Liberty himself did not come.

Tu mano gloriosa y fuerte
sobre la Historia dispara
cuando todo Santa Clara
se despierta para verte.

Searches for the burial sites of Guevara and his associates in the Bolivian campaign have been conducted for many years by several groups of Cuban anthropologists under a special agreement with the Bolivian government. In 1997, it was finally possible to unequivocally identify and transport to Cuba the remains of Che himself and six of his associates. On October 17, 1997, they were buried with all military honors in the wall of the memorial. The mourning ceremony was attended by the government of the republic in full force, headed by Fidel Castro. Between 1997 and 2002, the remains of an additional 23 Cuban guerrillas were identified and brought to Cuba. The hall, in the wall of which the urns with the ashes of the revolutionaries are walled up, is located on the lower level of the complex. A quiet guitar melody sounds in it and twilight reigns, and only at the far wall, where an eternal fire burns, dense tropical vegetation makes way over the stylized partisan path that goes into darkness. This installation, in contrast to the full official pathos of the Che Guevara Museum, which occupies a large part of the memorial complex, really "takes you by the heart."

Vienes quemando la brisa
con soles de primavera
para plantar la bandera
con la luz de tu sonrisa.

The moment we arrived at the memorial complex, it was already full of young people. As far as I understood, they were graduates of the Medical University of Havana, Cubans, Venezuelans and Nicaraguans. The photo below is a bas-relief depicting a guerrilla column in the Sierra Maestro mountains. The medical students in the foreground do not dance, but pass the "photographic book" to each other.

Tu amor revolucionario
te conduce a nueva empresa
donde esperan la firmeza
de tu brazo libertario.

The heroic commander goes into battle despite a broken arm. As conceived by the sculptors Jose Dellara ( José Delarra) and Jose de Lazaro Bencomo ( José de Lázaro Bencomo), Che Guevara's gaze is directed to the south, towards South America, which symbolizes the coming embodiment of his dream of her as a united socialist continent. Well, as everywhere in the neighborhood with Che's portraits, his famous slogan "Until the bitter end!" Is carved on the pedestal.

Seguiremos adelante,
como junto a tí seguimos,
y con Fidel te decimos:
"¡Hasta siempre, Comandante!"

The memorial museum of Che Guevara itself, in truth, is nothing special. There are mainly photographs on the whole wall and copies of documents under glass. Also on display are many small arms from the times of the revolution and personal belongings of Che's closest associates. But, more often than not, the exhibits are signed in the following manner: "Thompson assault rifle, model M1928A1. Production - USA. Same ( sic! ) the machine gun in the fall of 1958 belonged to the partisan Sebastian "Negoro" Pereira during a meeting with Ernesto "Che" Guevara... That is, the real relics, the former owner of which was really this or that figure from recent Cuban history, here - one, two, and missed. The same fully applies to Che's few personal belongings, including the M1911 Colt and the M1 carbine, with which he was depicted in sculptural form. Most of the documents, with the exception, perhaps, of the unexpectedly touching letter from very little Ernesto to his beloved aunt, are also copies, although the signatures to them confirm the opposite.

Aquí se queda la clara,
la entrañable transparencia,
de tu querida presencia,
Comandante Che Guevara.

On the concreted top of the hill, it is about 30ºC, and the humidity tends to reach 100% due to occasional torrential rains. Unsurprisingly, the police overseeing the memorial squatted under palm trees. The house, whose roof barely peeks out from behind the trees in the background, is the only Santa Clara building that sneaked into my photo report.

The hall with the eternal flame is a good example of how one should create the most sincere and minimally pretentious memorial halls. The Che Guevara Museum will be of interest only to lovers of the history of small arms (after all, almost a complete line of American weapons from the Second World War in our realities is not often found!). Thus, I cannot recommend the Che Guevara memorial for a mandatory visit.

* In this part of the story about the trip to Cuba, the lyrics from the song "Hasta Siempre, Comandante" by Carlos Puebla are used.

Further:

Memorial Complex
Mausoleum of Che Guevara Mausoleo del che guevara
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Country	Cuba
Town	Santa clara
Denomination
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Architecture

Work on the construction of the complex began in 1982. The construction was planned taking into account the advantageous location of the complex on a hill overlooking the city of Santa Clara, moreover, it was here, 270 km east of Havana, that Commander Che won his loudest victory: the battle for Santa Clara was the last and decisive battle Cuban revolution.

The complex was designed by architects Jorge Cao Campos, Blanca Hernades and José Ramón Linares, together with sculptors José de Lazaro Bencomo and José Dellara. The complex was built by the efforts of five hundred thousand Cuban volunteers, in collaboration with experienced artisans.

The architecture of the complex reflects many aspects of the life of Che Guevara, containing symbolic meaning. For example, a 7-meter bronze statue of Che on a 15-meter granite pedestal is oriented at 190 degrees, indicating the place of death of Che Guevara. The total height of the monument is 22 meters. Che Guevara is dressed in a shabby leather jacket and holds a submachine gun in his lowered hand. On the pedestal there is an inscription “Hasta la victoria siempre”. The monument is surrounded by bas-reliefs that reproduce the glorious pages of the biography of the famous revolutionary. On the left cube stele are the words of Che: "One thing I learned in Guatemala under Arbenz is that if I become a revolutionary doctor, or simply a revolutionary, first of all there must be a revolution." The large stele depicts Che with Fidel and Camilo Cienfuegos in the Sierra Maestra. Another bas-relief shows Che as the Minister of Industry performing his usual work. Another part of the relief composition depicts teachers with students and pioneers saluting "We will be like Che." The elongated stele reproduces the full text of his farewell letter to Fidel Castro, with the ending that was later sold out for songs: “Forward, to victory! Homeland or Death!". ... The second cube stele is located nearby.

Che Guevara "s Mausoleum 02.jpg

The statue of Che Guevara in full face,

Che Guevara "s Mausoleum 03.jpg

in profile

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The inscription on the pedestal of the statue

MausoleChe 02.JPG

General view of the elongated stele

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Image of Che

MausoleChe 03.JPG

Che's letter to Fidel

Che's dictum about Guatemala under Arbenz on a cubic stele

Che Guevara - Grab in Santa Clara, Kuba.jpg

Big stele

Che Guevara "s Mausoleum 10.jpg

Large stele on the side

MausoleChe 01.JPG

The inscription on the facade of a large stele

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Fragments

Che Guevara "s Mausoleum 07.jpg

facade design

The complex is a large square with a stele with a monument to Che Guevara, under it a mausoleum and a museum, opposite the monument there are large billboards with quotes from Fidel Castro and Che's motto: "Always until victory!"

Propaganda a Cuba 08.jpg

Left shield

Mausoleum of Che Guevara.jpg

Panorama from the shields

Propaganda a Cuba 09.jpg

Right shield

The museum is a huge collection of photographs and historical documents of that time, personal belongings of the famous revolutionary, as well as Che's embalmed hands. A special place is occupied by Ernesto's farewell letter to Fidel Castro.

Nearby is another sculptural complex - "Attack on an armored train", dedicated to the episode of the battle for Santa Clara, when Che Guevara used the tractors of the agricultural department of the local university to raise the railroad tracks. Due to this, the armored train, which was taking out the troops from the Kapiro Hill, went off the rails, and the officers who were in it requested an armistice. Both compositions are by renowned Cuban artist Jose Dellara.

Tren del Che.JPG

Attack on an armored train

Trenblindado.jpg

One of the tractors used by Che Guevara

Tren blindado-Santa Clara (Cuba) -Che Guevara-Flikr-emeryjl-388610245 (CC-BY) .jpg

Batista's armored train

Tren Blindado memorial in Santa Clara (inside park) .jpg

Artistic depiction of an armored train collision

The grand opening of the complex with the participation of Raul Castro took place on December 28, 1988.

Burial

	Name	Nickname	Country	Cause, place and date of death
1	Ernesto Raphael Guevara Lynch de la Serna	Che, Ramon, Fernando	Cuba 22x20px Cuba
2	Carlos Coelho	Tuma	Cuba 22x20px Cuba	died in battle in Rio Pirae on June 26, 1967
3	Alberto Fernandez Montes de Oca	Pacho	Cuba 22x20px Cuba
4	Orlando Pantoja Tamayo	Olo	Cuba 22x20px Cuba	died in battle in Quebrada del Yuro on October 8, 1967
5	Rene Martinez Tamayo	Arturo	Cuba 22x20px Cuba	died in battle in Quebrada del Yuro on October 8, 1967
6	Juan Pablo Navarro-Levano Chang	El Chino	Peru 22x20px Peru	captured and executed at La Higuera on October 9, 1967
7	Simeon Cuba Sarabia	Willie	Bolivia 22x20px Bolivia	captured and executed at La Higuera on October 9, 1967

8	Heidi Tamara Bunke Bieder	Tanya	Argentina 22x20px Argentina, East Germany 22x20px GDR	died in battle in Vado del Eso on August 31, 1967
9	Manuel Hernandez Osorio	Miguel	Cuba 22x20px Cuba
10	Mario Gutierrez Ardaia	Julio	Bolivia 22x20px Bolivia	died in battle in Quebrada de Batana on September 26, 1967
11	Roberto Peredo Leige	Coco	Bolivia 22x20px Bolivia	died in battle in Quebrada de Batana on September 26, 1967
12	Aniceto Reinaga Cordillo	Aniseto	Bolivia 22x20px Bolivia	died in battle in Quebrada del Yuro on October 8, 1967
13	Francisco Juanza Flores	Pablito	Bolivia 22x20px Bolivia
14	Garvan Edilverto Lucio Hidalgo	Eustace	Peru 22x20px Peru	killed in action in Los Cajones on October 12, 1967
15	Jaime Arana Campero	Chapako	Bolivia 22x20px Bolivia	killed in action in Los Cajones on October 12, 1967
16	Octavio de la Concepcion Pedraia	Moreau	Cuba 22x20px Cuba	killed in action in Los Cajones on October 12, 1967
17	Julio Cesar Mendes Cornet	NATO	Bolivia 22x20px Bolivia	shot by guerrillas out of sympathy after being badly wounded in Matarale on 15 November 1967

The third burial of 7 bodies took place on October 8, 1999:

18	Apolinar Aguirre Quispe	Polo	Bolivia 22x20px Bolivia
19	Freddy Maimura Hurtado	Ernesto	Bolivia 22x20px Bolivia	captured and executed in Vado del Eso on August 31, 1967
20	Gustavo Manchin Hoed de Beche	Alejandro	Bolivia 22x20px Bolivia	died in battle in Vado del Eso on August 31, 1967
21	Israel Reyes Sayas	Braulio	Cuba 22x20px Cuba	died in battle in Vado del Eso on August 31, 1967
22	Juan Vitalio Acuna Nunez	Joaquin	Cuba 22x20px Cuba	died in battle in Vado del Eso on August 31, 1967
23	Moises Guevara Rodriguez	Moses	Bolivia 22x20px Bolivia	died in battle in Vado del Eso on August 31, 1967
24	Walter Arenzibia Ayala	Abel	Bolivia 22x20px Bolivia	died in battle in Vado del Eso on August 31, 1967

The final burial of 6 bodies took place on October 8, 2000, bringing the total number of buried partisans to 30 people:

25	Eliseo Reyes Rodriguez	Rolando	Cuba 22x20px Cuba	died in battle in El Mezon on April 25, 1967
26	Antonio Sanchez Diaz	Marcos	Cuba 22x20px Cuba	died in battle in Peña Colorada on June 2, 1967
27	Serapio Aquino Tudela	Seraphin	Bolivia 22x20px Bolivia	died in battle in Higuir on July 9, 1967
28	Condori Casildo Varga	Victor	Bolivia 22x20px Bolivia
29	Jose Maria Martinez Tamayo	Papi	Cuba 22x20px Cuba	killed in action in Rio Rosita on July 30, 1967
30	Restituto Jose Cabrera Flores	El Negro	Peru 22x20px Peru	captured and executed in Rio Palmarito on September 4, 1967

Questions to the buried remains

On March 24, 2007, a former CIA agent, 71-year-old Gustavo Villoldo, appeared in the Miami Herald with a statement that Che Guevara's ashes still rest in Bolivia, and not in a mausoleum. According to him, in 1967 he participated in a joint operation of the Bolivian special services and the CIA to defeat the guerrilla group, which was led by Che after he left Cuba "to continue the revolution in Latin America." Villoldo says “he was not present at his death,” but he was one of five CIA officers tasked with secretly burying the bodies of Che Guevara and two other partisans of his group in the vicinity of the Bolivian city of Vallegrand:

In 1997, Che Guevara's body was identified among the remains of seven people, and then re-analyzed at a local hospital. However, according to Villoldo, “this cannot be. The dead are not allowed to multiply - in the mass grave, where Che still rests, besides him, there should be the remains of only two people, but not six. In addition, we buried him in a completely different place, where neither the airfield nor the runway was even close. The burial place marked on my map does not coincide at all with the coordinates of the modern Vallegrand airport. In any case, I still have a lock of Che's hair, and I insist on conducting a DNA examination and comparing the results with the analysis of the one who is now resting in the mausoleum of Santa Clara. " And as the former CIA agent emphasized, he came out with his exposure "not for the sake of money, but in the name of truth."

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An excerpt characterizing the Mausoleum of Che Guevara

I didn't even have time to figure out how I managed to cause such a storm (after all, not a single word had been spoken so far!), When I immediately heard his strange hoarse voice:
- Are you interested in books, Madonna Isidora? ..
Women and girls were called "Madonna" in Italy when respect was shown to them.
My soul went cold - he knew my name ... But why? Why was I interested in this creepy person ?! My head was spinning from the intense exertion. It seemed that someone was squeezing the brain with an iron grip ... And then suddenly I realized - Karaffa !!! It was he who tried to mentally break me! .. But why?
I again looked straight into his eyes - thousands of fires were blazing in them, taking innocent souls into the sky ...
- What books are you interested in, Madonna Isidora? His deep voice sounded again.
“Oh, I'm sure they are not what you are looking for, Your Eminence,” I replied calmly.
My soul ached in fright and fluttered like a caught bird, but I knew for sure that it was impossible to show him this. It was necessary, whatever the cost, to keep as calm as possible and try, if possible, to get rid of him as soon as possible. There were rumors in the city that the "crazy cardinal" stubbornly tracked down his intended victims, who later disappeared without a trace, and no one in the world knew where and how to find them, and if they were even alive.
- I have heard so much about your refined taste, Madonna Isidora! Venice only talks about you! Will you give me such an honor, will you share with me your new acquisition?
Karaffa smiled ... And my blood froze from this smile and I wanted to run wherever my eyes were looking, just not to see this insidious, sophisticated face ever again! He was a real predator by nature, and right now he was on the hunt ... I felt it with every cell of my body, every fiber of my soul frozen in horror. I have never been cowardly ... But I had heard too much about this terrible man, and I knew that nothing would stop him if he decided that he wanted to get me in his tenacious paws. He swept away any obstacles when it came to "heretics". And even kings were afraid of him ... To some extent, I even respected him ...
Isidora smiled when she saw our frightened faces.
- Yes, I did. But that was a different respect than what you thought. I respected his stubbornness, his ineradicable faith in his "good deed." He was obsessed with what he did, not like most of his followers, who simply robbed, raped and enjoyed life. Karaffa never took anything and never raped anyone. Women, as such, did not exist for him at all. He was a "warrior of Christ" from beginning to end, and until his last breath ... True, he never understood that, in everything that he did on Earth, he was absolutely and completely wrong, that it was terrible and an unforgivable crime. He died, sincerely believing in his "good deed" ...
And now, this man, fanatical in his delusion, was clearly determined to get my “sinful” soul for some reason ...
While I was frantically trying to think of something, they suddenly came to my aid ... My old acquaintance, almost a friend, Francesco, from whom I had just bought books, suddenly turned to me in an irritated tone, as if losing patience from my indecision:
- Madonna Isidora, have you finally decided what suits you? My clients are waiting for me, and I cannot spend all my day only with you! As much as it was pleasant to me.
I stared at him in surprise, but to my happiness, I immediately caught his risky thought - he offered me to get rid of the dangerous books that I was holding in my hands at that moment! Books were Karaffa's favorite "horse", and it was for them, most often, that the smartest people pleased in the networks that this crazy inquisitor placed for them ...
I immediately left most of it on the counter, to which Francesco immediately expressed "wild displeasure." Caraffa watched. I immediately felt how much he was amused by this simple, naive game. He understood everything perfectly, and if he wanted to, he could calmly arrest me and my poor risky friend. But for some reason he didn’t want to ... It seemed that he sincerely enjoyed my helplessness, like a contented cat clutching a caught mouse in the corner ...
- May I leave you, Your Eminence? - not even hoping for a positive answer, I asked cautiously.
- To my great regret, Madonna Isidora! The cardinal exclaimed with feigned disappointment. - Will you allow me to look at you somehow? They say you have a very gifted daughter? I would very much like to meet and talk to her. I hope she is as beautiful as her mother ...
“My daughter, Anna, is only ten years old, my lord,” I replied as calmly as possible.
And my soul was screaming with animal horror! .. He knew everything about me! .. Why, well, why did crazy Karaffe need me? .. Why was he interested in my little Anna ?!
Is it because I was reputed to be the famous Vidunya, and he considered me his worst enemy? .. After all, it didn't matter to him what they called me, for the "Grand Inquisitor" I was just a witch, and he burned witches at the stake .. ...
I loved Life deeply and selflessly! And I, like every normal person, really wanted it to last as long as possible. After all, even the most notorious villain, who, perhaps, took away the lives of others, values ​​every minute lived, every day of his life, precious to him! .. But at that very moment I suddenly very clearly understood that it was he, Karaffa, and will take her, my short and so valuable for me, not living life ...
- A great spirit is born in a small body, Madonna Isidora. Even holy Jesus was once a child. I will be very happy to visit you! - and bowing gracefully, Karaffa left.
The world was crumbling ... It crumbled into small pieces, each of which reflected a predatory, thin, intelligent face ...
I tried to somehow calm down and not panic, but for some reason it didn’t work. My usual self-confidence and self-confidence let down this time, and this made it even worse. The day was as sunny and bright as just a few minutes ago, but darkness settled in my soul. As it turned out, I had been waiting for the appearance of this person for a long time. And all my nightmarish visions of bonfires were only a foreshadowing ... of today's meeting with him.
Returning home, I immediately persuaded my husband to pick up little Anna and take her somewhere far away, where the evil tentacles of Caraffa could not reach her. And she herself began to prepare for the worst, because she knew for sure that his arrival would not be long in coming. And I was not mistaken ...
A few days later, my beloved black maid Kay (at that time it was very fashionable to have black servants in rich houses) reported that "His Eminence, Cardinal, was waiting for me in the pink drawing room." And I felt that something would happen right now ...
I was dressed in a light yellow silk dress and knew that this color suits me very much. But if there was only one person in the world in front of whom I did not want to look attractive, then it was certainly Caraffa. But there was no time to change clothes, and I had to go out that way.
He waited, quietly leaning on the back of an armchair, studying some old manuscript, of which there were innumerable numbers in our house. I put on a pleasant smile and went downstairs to the living room. Seeing me, Karaffa froze for some reason, not saying a word. The silence dragged on, and it seemed to me that the cardinal was about to hear my frightened heart pounding treacherously loudly ... But finally, his enthusiastic, hoarse voice rang out:
- You are amazing, Madonna Isidora! Even this sunny morning is losing out next to you!
“I never thought that cardinals were allowed to compliment ladies! - with the greatest effort, continuing to smile, I squeezed out.
- Cardinals are people too, Madonna, and they know how to distinguish beauty from simplicity ... But where is your wonderful daughter? Will I be able to enjoy double beauty today?
“She's not in Venice, Your Eminence. She and her father went to Florence to visit her sick cousin.
- As far as I know, there are no patients in your family at the moment. Who is so suddenly ill, Madonna Isidora? - there was an overt threat in his voice ...
Karaffa started playing openly. And I had no choice but to meet the danger face to face ...
- What do you want from me, Your Eminence? Wouldn't it be easier to put it bluntly, saving us both from this unnecessary, cheap game? We are smart enough people so that, even with a difference of views, we can respect each other.
My legs gave way from horror, but for some reason Karaffa did not notice this. He glared at my face, not answering or noticing anything around. I could not understand what was happening, and all this dangerous comedy frightened me more and more ... But then something completely unexpected happened, something completely beyond the usual framework ... Karaffa came very close to me, that's all in the same way, without taking off his burning eyes, and almost without breathing, he whispered:
- You cannot be from God ... You are too beautiful! You are a witch !!! A woman has no right to be so beautiful! You are from the Devil! ..
And turning, he rushed out of the house without looking back, as if Satan himself was chasing him ... I stood in complete shock, still expecting to hear his steps, but nothing happened. Slowly recovering, and finally managing to relax my stiff body, I took a deep breath and ... lost consciousness. I woke up on the bed, drinking hot wine from the hands of my dear maid Kei. But then, remembering what had happened, she jumped to her feet and began to rush around the room, not knowing in any way what to do ... Time passed, and it was necessary to do something, to come up with something in order to somehow protect myself and his family from this two-legged monster. I knew for sure that now every game was over, that the war had begun. But our forces, to my great regret, were very, very unequal ... Naturally, I could defeat him in my own way ... I could even just stop his bloodthirsty heart. And all these horrors would have ended immediately. But the fact is that, even at thirty-six years old, I still remained too pure and kind to kill ... I never took life, on the contrary - very often I returned it. And even such a terrible person as Karaffa could not yet execute ...
The next morning there was a huge knock on the door. My heart has stopped. I knew - it was the Inquisition ... They took me away, accusing me of "verbiage and wickedness, intoxicating honest citizens with false predictions and heresy" ... That was the end.
The room in which I was settled was very damp and dark, but for some reason it seemed to me that I would not stay in it for a long time. At noon, Caraffa came ...
- Oh, I beg your pardon, Madonna Isidora, you were given someone else's room. This is not for you, of course.
“What’s all this game for, monsignor?” - proudly (as it seemed to me), throwing up my head, I asked. “I would prefer just the truth, and I would like to know what I am really accused of. My family, as you know, is very respected and loved in Venice, and it would be better for you if the accusations were truly motivated.
Caraffa never knew how much effort it cost me then to look proud! .. I perfectly understood that hardly anyone or anything could help me. But I couldn't let him see my fear. And so she continued, trying to get him out of that calmly ironic state, which apparently was his kind of defense. And which I could not stand at all.
- You deign to tell me what my fault is, or leave this pleasure to your loyal "vassals" ?!
- I do not advise you to boil, Madonna Isidora, - Caraffa said calmly. “As far as I know, all your beloved Venice knows that you are a Witch. And besides, the strongest who once lived. Yes, you didn’t hide it, didn’t you?
Suddenly, I completely calmed down. Yes, it was true - I never hid my abilities ... I was proud of them, like my mother. So really now, in front of this crazy fanatic, I will betray my soul and abandon who I am ?!
- You are right, Your Eminence, I am a Witch. But I'm not from the Devil, not from God. I am free in my soul, I am LEADING ... And you can never take this away from me. You can only kill me. But even then I will remain what I am ... Only in that case, you will never see me ...
I blindly struck a weak blow ... There was no certainty that it would work. But Caraffa suddenly turned pale, and I realized that I was right. No matter how much this unpredictable man hated the female half, he had a strange and dangerous feeling for me, which I still could not pinpoint. But the main thing - it was! And only this was important for now. And it was possible to understand it later, if now Caraff was able to "catch" with this simple female bait ... But I did not know then how strong the will of this unusual person was ... Confusion disappeared as quickly as it had come. Before me stood the cold and calm cardinal again.
- It would be a huge loss for all who appreciate beauty, Madonna. But too much beauty can be dangerous, because it destroys pure souls. And yours will definitely not leave anyone indifferent, so it will be better if it simply ceases to exist ...
Caraffa left. And my hair stood on end - so strong he instilled terror in my tired lonely soul ... I was alone. All my loved ones and relatives were somewhere on the other side of these stone walls, and I was not at all sure that I would ever see them again ... My dearly beloved baby Anna huddled in Florence with the Medici, and I really hoped that Karaffa did not know where and with whom she was. My husband, who adored me, was with her at my request and did not know that I was captured. I had no hope. I was truly all alone.
From that unfortunate day, endless trials began over the famous "Venetian Witch", that is, over me ... But Venice was a truly free city and did not allow her children to be destroyed so easily. The Inquisition was hated by everyone, and Karaffe had to reckon with this. Therefore, I was tried by the "supreme tribunal of the Inquisition", who accused me of all possible vices, most of which I had never even heard of. The only bright thing that happened during all this nightmare was the unexpected and very strong support of friends, which forced Karaffa to be much more careful in her accusations, but this did not help me to escape from his dangerous claws.