Preserving History - Plaza Verde Park
Affectionately Known As Stickers Park
Plaza Verde Park may deserve historic recognition - but that doesn't mean every figure depicted in its murals deserves to be celebrated.
At a recent City Council meeting, July 27, 2026, members considered a resolution supporting the nomination of Plaza Verde Park to the National Register of Historic Places. During public comment, several residents spoke passionately about the park's history, the significance of its murals, and the pride they feel in what the artwork represents.
There is no question that Plaza Verde Park has become part of Pueblo's history.
But history deserves honest examination - not selective remembrance.
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| Ernesto "Che" Guevara |
One of the most recognizable figures featured in the park's murals is Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Before accepting his image as an appropriate public symbol, it's worth asking a simple question:
Who was Che Guevara, and what did he actually stand for?
A Revolutionary, Not a Humanitarian
Che Guevara was an Argentine physician who became one of the principal leaders of the Cuban Revolution alongside Fidel Castro. Following the revolution in 1959, he became a senior official in Cuba's new Marxist government.
Far from serving only as a revolutionary icon, Guevara also held positions of real governmental authority. He oversaw the prison complex at La Cabaña Fortress during the early revolutionary tribunals, where individuals convicted by revolutionary courts were executed.
While historians debate the exact number of executions carried out during that period, there is no serious dispute that executions occurred under Guevara's authority or that he defended them as necessary to the revolution.
His Own Words Leave Little Doubt
Critics are often accused of exaggerating Che Guevara's views.
The historical record says otherwise.
Speaking before the United Nations General Assembly in 1964, Guevara declared:
We have executed, we execute, and we will continue to execute whenever it is necessary.
That statement was not made privately or taken out of context. It was delivered publicly before representatives of the world.
His writings likewise make clear that he rejected liberal democracy and believed armed Marxist revolution - not elections - was the proper path to political change.
Exporting Revolution
Che Guevara's ambitions extended far beyond Cuba.
He believed communist revolution should spread throughout Latin America and other developing nations. After leaving his government posts in Cuba, he attempted to spark armed revolutions in the Congo and later in Bolivia.
His goal was not reform within existing democratic systems.
It was replacing governments through armed revolutionary movements built on Marxist-Leninist principles.
A More Complicated Legacy
Supporters often describe Guevara as an anti-imperialist, a champion of the poor, or a symbol of resistance.
Those perspectives exist and are part of the historical discussion.
But they do not erase the rest of the historical record.
His support for revolutionary executions, one-party rule, and violent political change are equally well documented. His personal writings have also drawn criticism for remarks about women and certain ethnic groups that many today would find offensive.
History rarely produces perfect heroes.
That is precisely why communities should examine the full record before deciding whom to elevate in public spaces.
History Versus Honor
None of this means Plaza Verde Park should lose its place in Pueblo's history.
Historic places should absolutely be preserved. They tell the story of a community, including its culture, its struggles, and its evolution.
The National Register of Historic Places recognizes places because they have historical significance. It is not an endorsement of every person, event, or idea associated with those places.
That distinction matters.
Recognizing Plaza Verde Park as historically significant is one discussion.
Celebrating Che Guevara through prominent public artwork is another entirely.
A Question Worth Asking
Public art reflects a community's values.
When visitors walk through a city park and see individuals memorialized in murals, they naturally assume those people are worthy of admiration or remembrance.
That makes one question unavoidable:
Is Che Guevara someone Pueblo should be honoring?
Reasonable people may disagree.
But that discussion should begin with an honest understanding of who he was - not simply with the iconic image on a mural or the legend that has grown around it.
History should be preserved.
Honor should be earned.
