chE

Che is a nickname and given name used in Spanish-speaking regions, most notably associated with Ernesto Guevara, the Argentine Marxist revolutionary and guerrilla leader commonly known as Che Guevara. Born in 1928 in Rosario, Argentina, Guevara studied medicine at the University of Buenos Aires, traveled across Latin America, and became known for his habit of addressing people with the vocative “che.” He joined Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement and played a central role in the Cuban Revolution, contributing to the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista in 1959. After the revolution, Guevara held various government and military roles and pursued internationalist projects before leaving Cuba in 1965 to support revolutions abroad. He was captured and executed in Bolivia in 1967.

In Rioplatense Spanish, che is a common vocative used to address someone informally, similar to “hey” or “mate,” and it can carry emphasis or camaraderie. The term has spread beyond Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, becoming a recognizable feature of the dialect and, in some contexts, a cultural lexeme associated with the region.

Che Guevara’s image—most famously the black-and-white portrait by photographer Alberto Korda—has become a global symbol of rebellion and leftist movements, inspiring admiration and controversy alike. His life and writings, including Guerrilla Warfare and his diaries from the Motorcycle Journey, have been the subject of extensive study, film, and literature. The legacy of Che Guevara remains debated, reflecting divergent views on revolutionary ethics, authoritarian actions, and the broader outcomes of the Cuban Revolution.