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Bench of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara

Italy

Bench of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara

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 Ernesto "Che" Guevara, major fi

gures 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, Mexico. Designed by Óscar Ponzanelli, the sculptures were first installed on a bench of Tabacalera in 2017. Due to their political background, they have elicited polarized reactions and were removed in both 2018 and 2025 due to lacking proper authorization. The second removal drew greater attention because of ideological conflicts.

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