Vallegrande
Encyclopedia
Vallegrande is a small colonial town in Bolivia
, located in the Department
of Santa Cruz
, some 125 km (bee-line) southwest of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. It is the capital of the Vallegrande Province
and Vallegrande Municipality
and serves as a regionally important market town. The small town is best known for being the first burial site of revolutionary Che Guevara
, after his 1967 execution.
in 1612 under the name Ciudad de Jesús y Montes Claros de los Caballeros del Vallegrande (Town of Jesus and Montes Claros of the knights of Vallegrande). It was intended to serve as a frontier to prevent the constant raids of the Guarani warriors that dominated the region. Many of the original inhabitants of Vallegrande were Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews
converted to Catholicism and persecuted by the inquisition
in Spain
and nearby La Plata
and Potosi, for they were suspected to continue to secretly practice Judaism. Others came from Santa Cruz de la Sierra as Vallegrande became the main transit point in the route that connected Santa Cruz with the mines of Peru.
During the 18th and 19th centuries Vallegrande steadily grew and became the urban and cultural center of the region with a population of 25,000 by 1900. In the 20th century, though, concurrent with the rise of the nearby Santa Cruz, Vallegrande's importance gradually declined.
highway and has an airstrip.
were discovered in 1997, and though his remains have gone to Cuba the former graves remain. Guevara had been buried in this location after his execution in the nearby village of La Higuera
in 1967.
As a result of Guevara's body being buried in the area, thousands of tourists make the pilgrimage each year to Vallegrande in order to honor the leftist icon. Shopkeepers peddle Che posters, pins and hats, and images of the long-haired Guevara in a beret look down from the walls inside restaurants, hotels and cafes. A museum also recalls his life as a revolutionary. Carlos Robert Pena, who owns a Guevara-themed restaurant in Vallegrande, told Reuters
in 2007 that "If it wasn't for Che, not many foreigners would come here."
Additionally, Guevara is revered as "Saint Ernesto" in Vallegrande by some locals, who believe his death has added a mystical element to the dusty town of mud-brick houses and dirt roads. Ligia Moron, who turned out with hundreds of other Bolivians to see Guevara's corpse in October 1967, stated that "His spirit is alive in this town. I think he (Che) should be anointed a saint
."
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, located in the Department
Departments of Bolivia
Bolivia is divided into nine departments . Each of the departments is subdivided into provinces , which are further subdivided into municipalities ....
of Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz Department
Santa Cruz, with an area of 370,621 km², is the largest of the nine constituent departments of Bolivia. In the 2001 census, it reported a population of 2,029,471. The capital is the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The state is one of the wealthiest states in Bolivia with huge reserves of...
, some 125 km (bee-line) southwest of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. It is the capital of the Vallegrande Province
Vallegrande Province
Vallegrande is a province in the Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia.-Subdivision:The province is divided into 5 municipios :-See also:*La Higuera...
and Vallegrande Municipality
Vallegrande Municipality
Vallegrande Municipality is the first municipal section of the Vallegrande Province in the Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. Its capital is Vallegrande.- Languages :The predomiant language in the Vallegrande Municipality is Spanish.- References :* *...
and serves as a regionally important market town. The small town is best known for being the first burial site of revolutionary Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
, after his 1967 execution.
Geography
The town lies in a big valley (whence the name) at an altitude of 2,030 m (6,660 ft) and has approximately 6,000 inhabitants. It has a mild temperate climate due mainly to its valley location, altitude, and the cold winter fronts the sweep the plains of Santa Cruz known as "Surazo".Economy
The main industries in the area revolve around agriculture and its derived products. The region is mainly dedicated to the production of grains such as corn and wheat, and fruits such as peaches, apples, grapes, pears, chirimoyas and plums. Among the value added products the most important are homemade bread, chamas, fruit liquor, wine, handmade rugs, and other handcrafts.History
Vallegrande was founded by the SpanishSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1612 under the name Ciudad de Jesús y Montes Claros de los Caballeros del Vallegrande (Town of Jesus and Montes Claros of the knights of Vallegrande). It was intended to serve as a frontier to prevent the constant raids of the Guarani warriors that dominated the region. Many of the original inhabitants of Vallegrande were Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
converted to Catholicism and persecuted by the inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and nearby La Plata
La Plata
La Plata is the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and of La Plata partido. According to the , the city proper has a population of 574,369 and its metropolitan area has 694,253 inhabitants....
and Potosi, for they were suspected to continue to secretly practice Judaism. Others came from Santa Cruz de la Sierra as Vallegrande became the main transit point in the route that connected Santa Cruz with the mines of Peru.
During the 18th and 19th centuries Vallegrande steadily grew and became the urban and cultural center of the region with a population of 25,000 by 1900. In the 20th century, though, concurrent with the rise of the nearby Santa Cruz, Vallegrande's importance gradually declined.
Transport
Vallegrande can be accessed via a spur road branching off the (old, southern) Santa Cruz to CochabambaCochabamba
Cochabamba is a city in central Bolivia, located in a valley bearing the same name in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and is the fourth largest city in Bolivia with an urban population of 608,276 and a metropolitan population of more than 1,000,000 people...
highway and has an airstrip.
Che Guevara
It was on the airstrip in Vallegrande that the remains of Che GuevaraChe Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
were discovered in 1997, and though his remains have gone to Cuba the former graves remain. Guevara had been buried in this location after his execution in the nearby village of La Higuera
La Higuera
La Higuera is a small village in Bolivia located in the Province of Vallegrande, in the Department of Santa Cruz. It is situated in the La Higuera Canton belonging to the Pucará municipality.-Geography:...
in 1967.
As a result of Guevara's body being buried in the area, thousands of tourists make the pilgrimage each year to Vallegrande in order to honor the leftist icon. Shopkeepers peddle Che posters, pins and hats, and images of the long-haired Guevara in a beret look down from the walls inside restaurants, hotels and cafes. A museum also recalls his life as a revolutionary. Carlos Robert Pena, who owns a Guevara-themed restaurant in Vallegrande, told Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
in 2007 that "If it wasn't for Che, not many foreigners would come here."
Additionally, Guevara is revered as "Saint Ernesto" in Vallegrande by some locals, who believe his death has added a mystical element to the dusty town of mud-brick houses and dirt roads. Ligia Moron, who turned out with hundreds of other Bolivians to see Guevara's corpse in October 1967, stated that "His spirit is alive in this town. I think he (Che) should be anointed a saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
."
External links
- Map of Vallegrande Province
- Vallegrande Travel Guide
- The Che Trail in Bolivia
- Che Guevara Route, Vallegrande Region
Articles
- The Local Deity: Bones or Not, Vallegrande's a Must Stop on the Che Route by Joshua Hammer, NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, 1997 - Che Guevara Legacy Lives on in Bolivia BBC News, August 24 2004
- Bolivian Town Recalls Che Assassination Prensa Latina, October 8 2008
- Che Sat Here: The Making (and Marketing) of a Martyr by Alex Ayala Ugarte, Virginia Quarterly Review, Winter 2009 Issue