Overview of Land and History 15Che Guevara
To understand the deterministic impact of Bolivia’s setting,
one may analyse the ill-fated expedition of Che Guevara in the
late 1960s. After playing a prominent role in Cuba’s socialist
revolution, Guevara led an expedition into Bolivia, driven by
his belief in Latin America as a single economic and cultural
entity. His guerilla group was soundly beaten by the Bolivian
Army and Guevara himself was captured and killed.
In essence, Guevara was defeated by his failure to consider
Bolivia’s physical and human geography. His small band of
international and Bolivian warriors situated their campaign
in the eastern semi-tropics, not the ideal location for El Che’s
asthma. Furthermore, this region is characterised by its sticky
climate and underpopulation.
Here was a corner of Bolivia that had largely eluded the
basest forms of exploitation by mine magnates, land barons