Havana's Che Guevara mural gets a twin

The iconic image of Che Guevara shot by Cuban photographer Alberto "Korda" Gutiérrez is instantly recognizable the world over. No surprise, then, that the huge mural of Che that hangs from the Ministry of the Interior (the ministry in charge of national security), on the northwest corner of Havana's Plaza de la Revolución, is perhaps the most photographed site in Cuba. The massive mural takes up most of the seven-story windowless facade and was erected in 1995 from steel railings donated by the French government. The stenciled words "Hasta la Victoria Siempre ("Always Toward Victory") are spelled out beneath the image.

Now Che has a twin. In October 2009, a 100 ton steel outline of guerrilla commander Camilo Cienfuegos was added to the side of the Ministry of Informatics and Communications building, to the east of the MININT building. Raised in honor of the 50th anniversary of Cienfuegos' death, it is accompanied by the words "Vas bien, Fidel" (You’re doing fine, Fidel). Cienfuegos' famous response was in reply to Fidel's question "Am I doing all right, Camilo?" at a rally on January 8, 1959.

See the images by day then return at night, when they are illuminated. The plaza is under close surveillance and loitering is discouraged. In fact, I was moved along posthaste by police when I recently stopped to photograph the images at night during my research trip for my Moon Cuba travel guide [2].