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Bench of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara

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Coordinates: 19°26′16″N 99°09′08″W / 19.4377°N 99.1522°W / 19.4377; -99.1522
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Bench of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara
Monumento Encuentro
Banca de Fidel Castro y el "Che" Guevara
Estatuas de Fidel Castro y el "Che" Guevara
The sculptures in 2023. The white paint poured over them in 2021 can still be seen on the floor.
Map
Location
LocationMexico City, Mexico
Coordinates19°26′16″N 99°09′08″W / 19.4377°N 99.1522°W / 19.4377; -99.1522
DesignerÓscar Ponzanelli
MaterialBronze
Length1.30 m (4 ft 3 in)
Width0.8 m (2 ft 7 in)
Height1.40 m (4 ft 7 in)
Weight250 kg (550 lb)
Beginning date
  • 2017
  • 17 October 2020
Dedicated toFidel Castro and Che Guevara
Dismantled date
  • 2018
  • 16 July 2025

The Monumento Encuentro (lit. transl. Monument Encounter) consists of two bronze statues seated on a bench. Colloquially known as the bench of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara and the statues of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, the artwork depicts statues of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, major figures of the Cuban Revolution (1953–1959), sitting together. The monument commemorates their first meeting in 1955 at a house in Colonia Tabacalera, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City.

Designed by Óscar Ponzanelli, the sculptures were first installed in Tabacalera in 2017. They have elicited polarized reactions and were removed in both 2018 and 2025 due to lacking proper authorization.

Background and history

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Main article: Cuban Revolution
Che Guevara and Fidel Castro in 1961

Fidel Castro and Che Guevara first met in June 1955 in Colonia Tabacalera, in Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City, where both agreed to cooperate in the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista, then dictator and president of Cuba.[1][2]

The statue was inaugurated by Ricardo Monreal, the mayor of Cuauhtémoc (2015–2017), on 2 December 2017 behind the San Carlos National Museum,[3] a few blocks from the location where Castro and Guevara first met.[4] Monreal said during the installation: "Many may not agree with Fidel or 'Che', but this neighborhood embraces tolerance".[2]

A few weeks later, the bench was removed because it had been installed without authorization from the Committee for Monuments and Artistic Works in Public Spaces (Comité de Monumentos y Obras Artísticas en Espacios Públicos, COMAEP).[5] The monument was reinstalled on 17 October 2020.[6]

2025 removal

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On 16 July 2025, Alessandra Rojo de la Vega, the mayor of Cuauhtémoc (2024–2027), authorized the removal of the sculptures, citing irregularities in their placement and requests from local residents.[7] She mentioned that the installation of the Monumento Encuentro was incomplete, lacking the necessary approval from the COMAEP, there was a lack of official documentation from the city government validating the installation, and it was under irregular custody by a government official.[8]

The Mexico City government classified the removal as illegal, stating that COMAEP had not submitted any request for it.[8] President Claudia Sheinbaum requested that the sculptures be handed over in order to install them elsewhere.[9] The Cuban community in Mexico and the Communist Party of Mexico expressed their rejection of the removal, with the former calling for a demonstration. Cuba's ambassador to Mexico, Marcos Rodríguez Costa, stated that the leaders' legacy goes beyond the physical.[10][11] Historian Alejandro Rosas criticized the removal, noting that regardless the political spectrum, politicians commonly engage in such actions and "turn the city into a stage for senseless political revenge". Rosas compared the action to Sheinbaum's 2020 removal of the Monument to Christopher Columbus, describing both as "ideological whims".[12]

Vandalism

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Days after its 2020 reposition, there was an attempt to steal it.[5] On 22 September 2021, two men poured white paint over both sculptures.[13]

Description

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Óscar Ponzanelli designed the bronze statues and were placed on a bench owned by the borough. The monument weights 250 kilograms (550 lb) whose dimensions are 1.40 meters (4 ft 7 in) by 1.30 meters (4 ft 3 in), with a depth of .8 meters (2 ft 7 in);[14] its cost was around Mex$600,000.[15]

Castro and Guevara are seated "in a relaxed manner".[16] Patrick J. McDonnell of the Los Angeles Times described as dressed in military attire, with Castro wearing a cap and Guevara a beret. Castro is depicted with one leg crossed, holding a cigar in his left hand and a book in his right, while Guevara holds a pipe in his right hand. The two figures are positioned without looking at each other.[17] Tamara De Anda compared the faces of Castro and Guevara to those of Santa Claus and Gerardo Fernández Noroña, respectively.[4]

Reception

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The statue has received mixed opinions. In 2020, Jorge Triana Tena, a local deputy for the right-wing National Action Party, requested to the Congress of Mexico City their removal as he considered that there was no reason to honor people he described as "murderers, homophobes and racists".[18] Congresspeople from the left-wing National Regeneration Movement party, who held the majority of the congress, rejected the proposal.[19] In 2021, Misión Rescate México, a civil society organization, asked to remove the bench as a protest against the political prisoners in Cuba.[20] Many locals, however, spoke out in favor of the statue, stating that Castro and Guevara are "icons of the neighborhood".[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "La Tabacalera, colonia donde se conocieron Fidel Castro y el Che" [Tabacalera, the neighborhood where Fidel Castro and Che met]. Noticieros Televisa (in Spanish). 28 November 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b "La estatua de Fidel y el 'Che': De su origen con Monreal a su retiro con Rojo de la Vega" [The statue of Fidel and Che: From its origins under Monreal to its removal under Rojo de la Vega]. Aristegui Noticias (in Spanish). 18 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  3. ^ Páramo, Arturo (2 December 2017). "Retoman charla Fidel y 'Che' Guevara en la colonia Tabacalera" [Fidel and 'Che' Guevara resume their conversation in Tabacalera]. Excélsior (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  4. ^ a b De Anda, Tamara (7 December 2017). "La plaza más chaira" [The most neo-hippie square]. máspormás (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Las reubicadas estatuas de Fidel Castro y el Che en México sufren un intento de robo" [Relocated statues of Fidel Castro and Che in Mexico targeted in an attempted theft]. Diario de Cuba (in Spanish). Mexico City. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  6. ^ Narvaes, Carlos (19 October 2020). "Recolocan estatua de Fidel Castro y el Che Guevara en un parque de CDMX" [Fidel Castro and Che Guevara's statue repositioned]. Debate (in Spanish). Mexico City. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  7. ^ García, Rafael (16 July 2025). "Alcaldía Cuauhtémoc retira escultura de Fidel Castro y 'El Che' en la Tabacalera; no contaba con permisos, afirma" [Cuauhtémoc Borough removes sculpture of Fidel Castro and 'El Che' in Tabacalera, citing lack of permits]. El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  8. ^ a b Reyes Padrón, Jorge (18 July 2025). "Retiro de estatuas del Che y Fidel fue ilegal, afirma Gobierno de CDMX" [The removal of the Che and Fidel statues was illegal, asserts the Mexico City government]. Récord (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  9. ^ Corona, Salvador; Villa y Caña, Pedro (18 July 2025). "Monumento Encuentro. Lo ponemos en otro lado: Sheinbaum" [Monumento Encuentro: 'We'll place it somewhere else', says Sheinbaum] (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  10. ^ Téllez, Ricardo (18 July 2025). "Partido Comunista rechaza retiro de esculturas del 'Ché' Guevara y Fidel Castro en CdMx". Milenio (in Spanish). Mexico City. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  11. ^ Dina, Eduardo (17 July 2025). "Cubanos convocan a manifestación para restituir estatuas del 'Che' y Fidel Castro en Cuauhtémoc; acusan 'acción arbitraria'" [Cubans call for a demonstration to restore the statues of 'Che' and Fidel Castro in Cuauhtémoc; they denounce the action as 'arbitrary']. El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  12. ^ Velazquez, Ana Karen (18 July 2025). "'Los políticos destruyen la historia cuando la tocan'; historiador critica retiro de estatuas de Fidel Castro y 'El Che'" ['Politicians destroy history when they tamper with it', historian criticizes removal of Fidel Castro and Che statues]. El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  13. ^ "Statue of Fidel and Che vandalized in CDMX, in Colonia Tabacalera; there are two inmates". RemoNews. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  14. ^ "Monumento Encuentro, conocido como 'Banca del Ché y Fidel', está reconocido como Patrimonio de la Ciudad de México" [The Monumento Encuentro, commonly known as the 'Bench of Che and Fidel', is officially recognized as Cultural Heritage of Mexico City]. Government of Mexico City. 18 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  15. ^ Paz Avendaño, Reyna (17 September 2019). "Embodegan escultura del Che Guevara y Fidel Castro" [Sculpture of Che Guevara and Fidel Castro warehoused]. La Crónica de Hoy (in Spanish).
  16. ^ Bravo, Elba Mónica; Gómez Flores, Laura (24 September 2021). "Repudia el gobierno actos vandálicos; llama a erradicar expresiones de odio" [Government repudiates acts of vandalism; calls for eradication of hate speech]. La Jornada (in Spanish). Mexico City. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  17. ^ McDonnell, Patrick J. (20 July 2025). "Mexico City bids adiós to monument to Castro and 'Che' Guevara". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  18. ^ "PAN deputies request removal of statues of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara". Explica.com. Mexico City. 15 July 2021. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  19. ^ "Piden retirar estatuas de Fidel Castro y de Ernesto 'Che' Guevara en la CDMX" [Fidel Castro and Ernesto 'Che' Guevara statues in Mexico City to be removed]. El Imparcial (in Spanish). 23 October 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  20. ^ Rojas, Sandra (17 November 2021). "Organización pide retirar estatuas de Fidel Castro y el 'Che' Guevara en la CdMx" [Organization asks to remove statues of Fidel Castro and 'Che' Guevara in Mexico City]. Milenio. Mexico City. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  21. ^ Bravo, Elba Mónica (23 September 2021). "Llaman a mantener estatua de Fidel y el 'Che' en parque Tabacalera". La Jornada (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 June 2024.
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