La Higuera
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
La Higuera | |
The Che Guevara monument | |
Location in Bolivia | |
Coordinates: | |
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Country | Bolivia |
Department | Santa Cruz Department |
Province | Vallegrande Province |
Population (2001) | |
- Total | 119 |
La Higuera (Spanish: "The Fig Tree") is a small village in Bolivia located in the Department of Santa Cruz, some 150 km (bee-line) southwest of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. La Higuera lies at an elevation of 1950 m, its population (according to the 2001 census) is 119, mainly indigenous Guarani people. Politically La Higuera is part of the Pucará municipality.
On October 8, 1967, the Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara, was captured by the Bolivian Army in the nearby ravine Quebrada del Churo, ending the leader's campaign to create a revolution to bring communism to South America. Che Guevara was held in the schoolhouse, where he was killed the next day. The body was then brought to Vallegrande where it was placed on display and afterwards secretly buried under an airstrip.
A monument to "El Che" and a memorial in the former schoolhouse are the major tourist attraction for this area. La Higuera is a stop on the "Ruta del Che" (Che Guevara Trail) which was inaugurated in 2004.