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.
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]
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