Che Guevara Timeline

SHORT CHRONICLE OF A REVOLUTIONARY

1928

June 14, Ernesto Guevara was born in the city of Rosario, Argentina.

1932

Guevara's family moved to Alta Gracia, province of Cordoba, Argentina

1948

Ernesto Guevara traveled around the Argentinian provinces.

1951

December; he left for Chile and Peru with his friend Granado. Guevara lived for a short time in

the leper colony of Huambo. Then he continued his journey to Bogata and later to Caracas.

1953

Back in Buenos Aires, he finished his studies in medicines. After that, he left for Bolivia with

another friend, Ferrer. They planned to go to Venezuela, passing through Peru and staying for

some time in Guayaquil, Ecuador. They met others Argentinians and decided to go to Central

America. They travelled through Panama, Costa Rica and Guatemala. There, Guevara met Hilda

Gadea, whom he would marry with later, in Mexico. Guevara got in touch with Peruvian exiles.

1954

June; invasion of Guatemala against Arbenz's goverment. Guevara had to escape to Mexico,

where he met Cuban exiles.

1955

July; he met Fidel Castro who told him about his plans to invade Cuba. He joined the group and

started his military training.

1956

December 2; disembarked on Cuba's south coast. December 18, the 12 survivors started the first

guerrilla in the Sierra Maestra.

1957

June; Che was named commander. By the end of the year, the war in Cuba entered the decisive

stage. Guevara was requested to make the journal Cuba Libre in the mountain range.

1958

December 29; Che's column fought its final battle and overtook Santa Clara. December 31,

president Fulgencio Batista escaped to Santo Domingo.

1959

January 2; triumphal entrance of Che and Camilo Cienfuegos in La Habana. February; Che is

declared Cuban born. On June 2, he married Aleida March. From june till august, Che travelled

through Africa, Asia and Yugoslavia. On October 7, Fidel Castro named him head of the Industry

Department in the Agrarian Reform's National Institute. On November 26, he is named president

of the National Bank.

1960

Che finished his book "Guerra de guerrillas"("Guerrilla warefare"), published under the

responsibilty of the Rebel Department's Instruction Deparment. Its first edition is censored all

over Latin America. On July 26, during the First Latin America Youth Congress, Che defined the

Cuban revolution as a marxist one. In October, he wrote "Nota para el estudio de la revolucion

cubana" ("Notes for the studies about Cuba's revolution"), in which he reviewed the revolution's

stages. From October 21 to Febrary 1961, he traveled to the socialist countries (in particular, to

China, Czechoslovakia and the USSR) as part of a commercial delegation.

1961

On February 23, he was named Minister for Industry and he quit the National Bank's presidency.

In April, he wrote "Cuba, caso excepcional o vanguardia en la lucha contra el imperialismo"

("Cuba exceptional case or avantgarde in struggle against imperialism"). On april 17, Playa

Giron