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By: HISTORY.com Editors

1967

Che Guevara captured by Bolivian army

HISTORY.com Editors

Published: February 09, 2010Last Updated: January 31, 2025

A Bolivian guerrilla force led by Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara is defeated in a skirmish with a special detachment of the Bolivian army. Guevara was wounded, captured and executed the next day.

Born in Argentina, Guevara believed that a man of action could revolutionize a people. He played a pivotal role in the Cuban Revolution of 1956-59 and encouraged Fidel Castro to pursue his communist, anti-American agenda.

After holding several positions in Castro’s government, he disappeared from Cuba in 1965. He secretly traveled to the Congo, where he trained rebels, and in 1966 resurfaced in Bolivia as leader of another guerrilla group.

Since his death, Guevara has been idolized as a hero of leftist revolution.

Che Guevara

Che Guevara believed that communism would save the impoverished people of Latin America. Learn more about how he became a revolutionary icon of the anti-establishment in this video.

3:53m watch

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Citation Information

Article Title: Che Guevara captured by Bolivian army
Author: HISTORY.com Editors
Website Name: History
URL: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-8/che-guevara-defeated

Date Accessed: October 21, 2026
Publisher: A&E Television Networks
Last Updated: January 31, 2025
Original Published Date: February 09, 2010