The birth of the Cuban Revolution in Mexico

Cuba

The birth of the Cuban Revolution in MexicoIn this 1960 file photo, Cuba’s revolutionary hero Ernesto “Che” Guevara, center, Cuba’s leader Fidel Castro, left, and Cuba’s President Osvaldo Dorticos, right, attend a reception in an unknown location in Cuba. (AP Images)

The former Cuban president left a remarkable legacy that started with a movement, born in Mexico.

That’s where he and his brother, Raoul, met Che Guevarra and planned the Revolution.

CCTV America’s Franc Contreras reports.

Before he became the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro traveled to Mexico. He had just been released from a Cuban prison.

Mexican police were constantly on his trail. Still, Castro decided to live in this neighborhood in the Mexican capital. It was recently proclaimed an historic site.

In Mexico, Fidel Castro met one of his most important collaborators, Ernesto “Che” Guevarra.

They often met secretly in Mexico City’s cafes and restaurants, plotting to overthrow of the Batista government.

Antonio del Conde was among Castro’s closest Mexican allies. Del Conde was a well-known expert in firearms, who obtained the weapons Castro and his insurgents would use.

Del Conde also helped Castro purchase the famous Granma yacht, which Castro and 81 other rebels used to return to Cuba.

In Mexico, Castro enjoyed romance. His former girlfriend Isabel Custodio said Che Guevarra did not approve of their relationship.

In November 1956, Castro and his men, all 82 of them boarded a small yacht named the Granma and set off on their historic journey.

As Fidel Castro left Mexico, he would never forgot the key role it played in his life well before he became the leader of the Cuban Revolution.


Che Guevara’s influence on Castro’s revolution

It’s tough to talk about Fidel Castro’s Cuban Revolution without also talking about his Argentine comrade in arms, Enresto “Che” Guevara. They met in Mexico and created history together.

Guevara became a cultural hero of rebellion for people around the world and his influence lives on. CCTV America’s Joel Richards reports from Buenos Aires about what are people saying there.

MORE COVERAGE OF FIDEL CASTRO ON CCTV