Bench of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara

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 2022. The white paint poured over them in 2021 can still be seen on the floor.
	Location
	19°26′16″N 99°09′08″W / 19.4377°N 99.1522°W
Location	Mexico City, Mexico
Designer	Óscar Ponzanelli
Material	Bronze
Weight	250 kg (550 lb)
Beginning date	2017
Dedicated to	Fidel Castro and Che Guevara

The Monumento Encuentro (lit. transl. Monument Encounter) refers to two bronze statues seated on a bench in Colonia Tabacalera, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City, designed by Óscar Ponzanelli in 2017. Otherwise known as the bench of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara and the statues of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, the artwork features sitting statues of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, major figures of the Cuban Revolution (1953–1959). The monument references the first time both met in 1955 in Tabacalera.

Background and history

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] The statue was inaugurated by Ricardo Monreal on 2 December 2017 behind the San Carlos National Museum,^[2] a few blocks from where they met.^[3] A few weeks later, the bench was removed as it was placed without authorization of the Committee for Monuments and Artistic Works in Public Spaces (Comité de Monumentos y Obras Artísticas en Espacios Públicos, COMAEP).^[4] The monument was reinstalled until 17 October 2020.^[5]

Reception

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".^[6] Congresspeople from the left-wing National Regeneration Movement party, who held the majority of the congress, rejected the proposal.^[7] In 2021, Misión Rescate México, a civil society organization, asked to remove the bench as a protest against the political prisoners in Cuba.^[8] Many locals, however, spoke out in favour of the statue, stating that Fidel Castro and Che Guevara are "icons of the neighbourhood".^[9]

Vandalism

Days after its reposition, there was an attempt to steal it.^[4] On 22 September 2021, two men poured white paint over both sculptures.^[10]

Description

The bronze statues were created by Óscar Ponzanelli and are placed on a bench owned by the borough. The monument weights 250 kilograms (550 lb) and cost around Mex$600,000.^[11] Both are seated "in a relaxed manner", Castro holds a cigar in his left hand, while Guevara holds a pipe in his right hand.^[12]

De Anda compared the faces of Castro and Guevara to those of Santa Claus and Gerardo Fernández Noroña, respectively.^[3]

References

^ "La Tabacalera, colonia donde se conocieron Fidel Castro y el Che" [Tabacalera, colonia where Fidel Castro and Che met]. Noticieros Televisa (in Spanish). 28 November 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
^ Páramo, Arturo (2 December 2017). "Retoman charla Fidel y 'Che' Guevara en la colonia Tabacalera" [Fidel and 'Che' Guevara resume talks in the Tabacalera neighborhood]. Excélsior (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 September 2021.
^ ^a ^b De Anda, Tamara (7 December 2017). "La plaza más chaira" [The most neo-hippie square]. máspormás (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 September 2021.
^ ^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 suffer theft attempt]. Diario de Cuba (in Spanish). Mexico City. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
^ 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.
^ "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.
^ "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.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ "Statue of Fidel and Che vandalized in CDMX, in Colonia Tabacalera; there are two inmates". RemoNews. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
^ 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).
^ 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.