The mayor of Cuauhtémoc in Mexico City, Alessandra Rojo de la Vega, removed the statues of the tyrant Fidel Castro and the murderer Ernesto ’Che’ Guevara.
14ymedio, Pedro Corzo, Miami, 3 August 2025 — La señora Alessandra Rojo de la Vega, mayor of Cuauhtémoc, a town considered the heart of Mexico City, decided to remove the statues of the tyrant Fidel Castro and the murderer Ernesto Che Guevara. The sculptures had been in place in a park in the district since 2017, following the decision of a Mexican official close to the Cuban regime and a member of the administration of current President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Castro and Guevara had already been removed in 2018, when it was discovered that the permits to install the figures in the park were lacking. They had also been the target of vandalism in protest and neighborhood demonstrations against them.
In consequence, the mayor, within the powers conferred by her office, determined that the monuments had generated controversy and that their placement in Tabacalera Park was unjustified due to irregularities. She made no mention of the $32,000 in public funds spent on the statues’ construction or the fact that they were paying tribute to two individuals who represented values contrary to what Mexican society and its government claim to ennoble. She added: “Neither Che nor Fidel requested authorization to be installed in Cuba, nor in Tabacalera Park.”
Castro and Guevara had already been removed in 2018, when it was discovered that the permits to install the figures in the park were not adequate.
The sculptures, placed on a park bench, depicted Castro and Guevara with a book and a tobacco pipe, respectively, instead of an assault rifle or an explosive device, objects more closely related to their history.
The removal of the statues has sparked numerous comments, but undoubtedly the most striking have been the remarks of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who said that Mayor Rojo de la Vega had acted illegally by removing the monuments and accused the official of displaying “tremendous intolerance.”
La señora presidenta, following the Castro regime’s pattern of attempting to discredit its adversaries and enemies, stated that the mayor had gone to Cuba on vacation, which, in her opinion, showed that she was not against the regime, ignoring the fact that not everyone who visits the island does so out of love for the dictatorship.
To honor the truth, I am not in favor of destroying statues and monuments. Every day I become more convinced that there are indelible values represented by images and monoliths dedicated to distinguished personalities or events in history, even though each person’s perception of the same events and people may be radically different from that of others.
Mayor Rojo de la Vega made it clear: “Fidel Castro and Che Guevara were murderers. A murderer is no less a murderer if he’s on the left.”
For example, I reject the removal of statues dedicated to Christopher Columbus and other discoverers and conquerors of the Americas from public spaces. I don’t believe the demonizing arguments of those who promote their removal. It’s true that the figures represented by many of these statues committed countless abuses and crimes, but they were also the ones who made possible the collision of two worlds and the enrichment of both.
The same cannot be said of Castro and Guevara, nor of those who supported them in their control of Cuba and their failed attempt to destabilize an entire continent in order to impose totalitarian power.
Monuments and statues represent momentous episodes in history, and their construction or removal should be the subject of detailed research, the outcome of which should not be influenced by sympathies but by the contribution they have made to humanity.
Knowing the ways these criminals operate, I think it is a good idea to remove similar monuments anywhere in the world that represent individuals like these, particularly the one dedicated to Che Guevara in the city of Santa Clara. Mayor Rojo de la Vega stated clearly: ” Fidel Castro and Che Guevara were murderers. A murderer is no less a murderer if he is on the left.”
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