“Che” Guevara in Spain (1959) – Archives of History | Your disclosure page

Introduction

Ernest Guevara de la Serna became famous after standing out as a guerrilla and commander during the Cuban Revolution. His travels through the socialist bloc are famous, but the stops he made in Madrid (Spain) are less well known. This is the story of the brief stays of the Che in the Iberian country.

Che in Madrid, June 13-14

The Che arrives at Madrid on the occasion of a stopover he had to make to continue his journey to the Egypt of Gamal Abdel Nasser. There in Cairo, Fidel Castro sent him to a summit of non-aligned countries; this tour of the socialist countries would last for three months. In the early hours of June 13 to 14, the Che came to Madrid. Upon arriving in the Spanish capital, it had been agreed that the Cuban revolutionary could visit the city as a mere tourist, prohibiting him from contacting the opposition or carrying out political acts. Even so, it never ceases to amaze that the iron Franco’s dictatorship let him walk almost freely through the streets of Madrid.

Upon arrival, the Che is received at the Barajas airport by personnel from the Cuban embassy in Spain; In addition, he is accompanied as a personal entourage by the captain Omar Fernandez (personal escort), Lt. Jose Mendoza Argudin (a young man of only 16 years) and his secretary and confidant Pancho Garcia Valls. The Cuban embassy contacted Antonio Olanoeditor of the newspaper Pueblo, to accompany the Che during his visit to the Castilian city. Olano in turn contacted the photographer Cesar Lucas who worked as a photojournalist for the Europa Press agency. The first photograph taken of the Che in Spain was holding a copy of the daily towna tradition that was done back then to make the stay of a character in the country believable and also so that people would know for which newspaper the report was being made.

The Spain what did you find Ernest Guevara pays homage to Miguel Muñoz at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, has Federico Bahamontes in the return to Switzerland, defeats Brazil 3-2 in the Davis Cup and is about to inaugurate the long-awaited Guadarrama tunnel that would cross the Madrid mountains. It is also curious that that same year in April the Valley of the Fallen and that at the end of the following month (July) the different documents that would finally mean the famous were going to be signed Stabilization Planswhich they would release years later Spain of the crisis in which it had plunged after having finished the civil war. Likewise, in that same month of July, the famous terrorist group ETA was founded on Basque lands.

The Che he stays at the hotel in Plaza, but that night-early morning he does not sleep due to the time change, so he informs Olano what i wanted to see Madrid. The editor of Pueblo informs him that the National Country Fair (located in Casa del Campo and inaugurated in 1950), where there is a series of representative buildings from different parts of Spain. Antonio Olano, as Galician as he was, took the Che to the stalls where octopus, pork shoulder and a long etc. were served. “we ate casually, but maybe too”, The day lasted almost until dawn. When the visit ended Ernesto he returned to his hotel until the next morning.

The day June 14thIt was a radiant summer Sunday. The Che I wanted to visit some places of Madrid before his flight left at noon; Olano and César Lucas asked him if they could accompany him to continue with the report and take photographs, which he gladly accepted. The first thing the heterogeneous entourage did was visit the University Cityespecially the commander was interested in the pharmacy and medicine buildings “he wanted to visit the University City to see the Faculty of Medicine, since he was a doctor by training” (CL). It is here where Cesar Lucas He made one of the most iconic photographs of the guerrilla’s visit that June 1959. “With the light of the first hour, Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, 31 years old, appears at a street intersection. Olive green uniform and military boots. In the opposite direction of the sign for pedestrians. In a martial gesture with his hand clutching his belt, the other clutching a newspaper. Behind, in the background, a bus that is going to no one knows where, and the Francoist Arch of Victory, to which Che turns his back. Few images condense so much the controversial personality of the sitter”.

Leaving Ciudad Universitaria, Olano tells the Che that if he wants to see a bullring, he says “enchanted”. That is when they go to the Carabanchel bullring, near the Vistalegre palace. The visit was quick and thanks to Olano’s contacts, the Argentine was able to go down to the same square. Then they went directly to Gran Vía, before arriving they passed through the Royal Palaceand then they went to breakfast at the old cafeteria California (located between Spain Square and Plaza de Callao) of American style. There he was chatting with the young waitress, Carmen Muñoz Martín, who had been working in the establishment for eleven years. Carmen remembers the Che What “an attentive, attractive and ultimately very cordial man”. After leaving the cafeteria (after taking a photo with Carmen) they walked along Gran Vía where some workers who were leaving work (probably for lunch) approached him to ask for an autograph.

The truth is that in Spainthe general ignorance about who was the Che Guevara it was big. The news about the guerrillas that were in Cuba years ago had reached Spain vaguely and mainly the name of Fidel Castro. “At that time many people did not know the faces of the Cuban revolutionaries, they only knew that they were bearded, so on the street you heard pedestrians say “look, those must be the Cubans and the one with the hat must be Fidel Castro”, because then Few knew who Che Guevara really was.” (CS). Right now, on Gran Vía, Guevara he tells Antonio Olano that he wanted to buy a typewriter and some books. Being Sunday the stores were closed, but the editor of Pueblo manages to contact the owner of Galerías Preciados (Pepín Fernández) so that they open the famous stores and the guerrilla can buy. Within Prized Galleriesthe Che buy a typewriter Hispanic Olivetti and some books.

After shopping, reporter and editor accompany the commander to the airport to catch his flight to Cairo, here the Spanish photographer recalls “Upon arrival at the airport, he asked me if I smoked and when I said “yes”, he took out three cigars from his jacket. She gave them to me and I smoked them instantly”. Antonio Olano and César Lucas went after (firing the Che) of this questioned by members of the police and the DGS (General Directorate of Security) about what they had done in the company of the communist theoretician. The answers they gave were enough for law enforcement officers and the episode was closed. Unfortunately, the fabulous report that was going to be published in the newspaper Pueblo never came to light due to Franco’s censorship, only a small note on a page warned the reader that the Che had made an express visit to Madrid.

Che in Madrid (II), from September 2 to 8

Three months after his first step through Madrid, Ernest “Che” Guevara go back to Spain due to technical problems in your aircraft; which forces him to have to stay almost a week in the Spanish capital. On this occasion, the Cuban revolutionary is staying at the hotel sweden (which have recently reopened). In this stay there were no reports, so, although it was longer than the previous one, it went more unnoticed.

this time in Madridthe Che took the opportunity to visit the numerous old book stores that exist in the capital and also went to the Main Squarewhere in the famous hat shop The favourite, bought many berets, knowing that they had an international reputation for their quality. Also in the hotel he was visited again by Antonio Olano. The Che He told him that the report had gone out all over the world, to which Olano told him that it had not been published in Spain because it was prohibited. In the international headlines that had the Che (I had cut them out) you could read “the main stores in Europe open on Sunday, closing date, for Ernesto Che Guevara”. In this new room Guevara went to one bullfight in the Madrid square sales. The expectation was maximum, not because of the bullfight, but because of the group of Cubans who were on the line with their famous olive green uniforms, their beards and their cigars.

Also on this second visit, the Che was able to visit the Cuesta Moyano where he bought works mostly by poets; also visited the Prado Museumwhere according to the testimonies he was “stunned” admiring the paintings of Velazquez and of Goya. Lastly, he was also able to see the famous monastery of the Dump. The Cuban delegation was even encouraged to leave the Spanish capital, visiting the famous cities of Toledo Y Seville. To the Che he loved the beauty of Toledo’s cathedrals, monuments and buildings. There in Toledo, two young women approached him to take a photo with him, a poorly focused photo, but the only one that exists of the Che outside Madrid.

Oddly enough, the group of Cubans managed to convince the commander (he was reluctant) to go out at night. Guevara warned that there could be counterrevolutionary agents and former officials of the Batista’s dictatorship. Likewise during those nights that they went out through the Spanish capital they enjoyed the dances, customs, songs and entertainment. According to reports Omar Fernandez (bodyguard) to be in Spain It was like being in Cuba itself, since the use of the same language made things much easier and after traveling around the world using interpreters, communicating in Spanish was a delight.

After this second stay in Spainthe commander Cuban arrived with his companions in Havana on September 8. He wouldn’t go back to Spain Never again, only in October 1966 did he return to the capital dressed and disguised as Ramón Benítez (he had shaved, wore false teeth and glasses, and had even had the hair pulled from his head to fake authentic baldness). False identity so that the Bolivian authorities would let him pass to the country where he intended to carry out a new guerrilla, although this time the campaign would cost him his life, since less than a year later he would be shot when he was captured during a skirmish.

Epilogue

Ernest “Che” Guevara on his visits to Madrid He stated that he liked the city a lot, although the truth is that his stay here was uneventful due to the censorship of the Pueblo newspaper report by the Franco regime. However, even if there was excessive censorship and control, it is surprising that the small entourage of the Che will walk through Madrid as “Pedro por su casa” and also dared to travel further from the capital. But the truth is that they were constantly watched and even more so when they were alone in September…