From rebel fighter to archivist: Aleida March’s lifelong commitment to Che Guevara’s ideals

By Harsh Thakor*

Aleida March Torres, born on October 19, 1936, in Santa Clara, Cuba, came from a campesino (peasant) background that shaped her lifelong commitment to social justice. Her political involvement began through participation in the student movement against the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. In 1956, she joined the July 26 Movement, playing an active role in the clandestine struggle that sought to overthrow the regime.

March’s early duties included serving as a messenger, a task that demanded courage and secrecy under the oppressive conditions of Batista’s Cuba. Her commitment eventually led her to become a guerrilla fighter in the Escambray Mountains under Comandante Camilo Cienfuegos. It was there that she met Ernesto “Che” Guevara, the Argentine-born revolutionary. Their shared ideological commitment formed the basis of a personal and political partnership, culminating in their marriage on March 1, 1959, after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution.

Although much younger than Che and initially indifferent to him romantically, March soon developed a deep bond with him. Yet, defining her solely by her marriage would understate her individual contributions. Following the revolution, she continued to serve in the new Cuban state, studied social sciences at the University of Havana, and engaged in social and political work.

After Che’s death in Bolivia in 1967, March took on the responsibility of preserving and promoting his intellectual and moral legacy. In 1968, she founded the Che Guevara Studies Center (Centro de Estudios Che Guevara) in Havana, which she led for decades. The institution focuses on collecting, authenticating, and publishing Guevara’s writings—his diaries, letters, and political essays—ensuring his ideas on socialism, anti-imperialism, and the “New Man” remain accessible to researchers and activists worldwide.

Beyond archival preservation, March became an active voice in sustaining the relevance of Guevara’s ideals. Her memoir, Evocation: My Life with Che Guevara (also published as Remembering Che: My Life with Che Guevara), offers an intimate portrayal of their shared life and the revolutionary context in which it unfolded. The book combines personal anecdotes with reflections on the Cuban Revolution, presenting Che as both a political figure and a human being—a husband, father, and thinker with a creative spirit.

March’s writing avoids melodrama, focusing instead on honesty and restraint. She recalls Che’s long absences after the revolution, his missions abroad, and their limited correspondence during his campaigns in the Congo and Bolivia. The memoir also includes excerpts from their letters and photographs, offering glimpses into their family life.

While March’s narrative portrays Che as a compassionate yet demanding revolutionary, it also reveals his conventional views on gender and family. She notes his preference for sons and his emotional distance imposed by political duty. One poignant episode recounts Che’s secret return to Cuba, disguised as an elderly man named “Uncle Ramon,” to see his children before departing for Bolivia. His young daughter, unaware of his true identity, told her mother afterward, “I think that man loves me.”

The book offers little detail about Che’s death or March’s later life, though she briefly mentions being left a widow in her thirties with four young children. She later remarried but has largely kept her personal life private.

Throughout her life, Aleida March has continued to represent the enduring ideals of the Cuban Revolution and Che Guevara’s vision. Her role as an activist, archivist, and writer has helped sustain the intellectual and moral framework of one of the twentieth century’s most influential revolutionary movements.

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*Freelance journalist