Bolivian town cashes in on Che Guevara legacy

By Eduardo Garcia

VALLEGRANDE, Bolivia (Reuters) - The bearded image of guerrilla leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara has become a pop icon splashed on mugs, T-shirts and even bikinis 40 years after his death, and this Bolivian town is out to cash in on the marketing frenzy.

In central Bolivia, where Guevara battled the army before he was captured and killed, tour operators offer a chance to retrace his final steps on the "Che Trail."

"If it wasn't for Che, not many foreigners would come here," said Carlos Robert Pena, who owns a Guevara-themed restaurant in Vallegrande catering to foreign tourists.

Shopkeepers peddle Che posters, pins and hats, and images of the long-haired Guevara in a beret look down from the walls inside restaurants, hotels and cafes. A museum recalls his life as a revolutionary.

If, as historians say, Bolivians were reluctant to stand alongside Guevara in his revolution, some are eager to take advantage of his role in putting this town in the history books. Each year, thousands of people make a pilgrimage here to remember him.

After Guevara joined the guerrilla uprising that helped Fidel Castro seize power in Cuba in 1959, the Argentine-born doctor set off for Congo to foment revolution there.

But his African campaign failed and Guevara traveled on to Bolivia, arriving in late 1966 hoping to spark a revolution in this landlocked South American country.

Guevara was captured and later executed by CIA-backed Bolivian soldiers after an interrogation in La Higuera, 50 miles (80 km) south of Vallegrande on October 9, 1967. His body was flown to Vallegrande and put on display in a hospital before being buried in an unmarked grave.