Santa Clara is the fitting place to discuss contemporary history in relation to Che Guevara. Meet your local French-speaking guide for the tour of Santa Clara. It begins with a presentation of the sculpture of Che at the headquarters of the Cuban Communist Party. Continuation to the Tren Blindado (armoured train) monument. A cocktail at Café Revolución is planned before the city tour: Parque del Carmen, Parque Vidal, Teatro de la Caridad, etc., followed by a visit to Che’s Mausoleum and museum.
During the Cuban Revolution, on 28 December 1958, accompanied by just 300 men, Che Guevara managed to capture the city and defeat the roughly 3,000 Batista soldiers defending it. The following day, Che Guevara dealt another blow to the dictator by derailing a military train carrying 408 soldiers and an entire arsenal of weapons, meant to block the rebels’ advance. The events ended with the encirclement of Batista’s men, who fled. It was also here that Che was laid to rest in a mausoleum alongside other guerrilla comrades in 1997.
