A hand-painted “piquetero” flag among political banners at a rally organized by supporters of President Nestor Kirchner in Argentina, May 2006. Photo by Michael Casey

The ubiquitous red Che flag at a March 2007 rally to commemorate the Argentine military coup of 1976. Photo by Michael Casey

The same flag at the same March 2007 rally accompanies a sheet of photos and names of Argentina’s “disappeared” carried by the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo. Photo by Michael Casey

Murga dance troupe leader Gustavo Alonso shows his allegiance to Che. The words on his drum are taken from a famous Guevara phrase: “Trembling with indignation over any injustice committed.” Photo by Michael Casey

Activist youths from Argentina’s Jovenes de Pie movement. The banners contains another famous Che phrase: “I am not a liberator; liberators do not exist. It is the people who liberate themselves.” Photo by Natalie Brady; © Natalie Brady/Faction Films

Boy in an Buenos Aires slum, one of the Jovenes de Pie banners behind him. Photo by Natalie Brady; © Natalie Brady/Faction Films

Visitors from around Latin America attended a rally in Vallegrande, Bolivia, on October 9, 2007 for the 40th anniversary of Che’s death in nearby La Higuera. Photo by Josefina Tommasi.

Cuban doctors seconded to Bolivia at the annual October 8 Che anniversary in La Higuera. Photo by Michael Casey

For some people, the expression “Be Like Che” applies to the physical appearance, too. Like Elvis impersonators flocking to Graceland, Che lookalikes can be found at the annual anniversary of Guevara’s death in La Higuera.

Plastic flower arrangement and calling card for a Che Guevara cultural center for children in Samaipata, Bolivia, are placed on the Vallegrande hospital laundry room wash basin. It’s the site where Che’s body lay after he was executed on October 9, 1967. Photo by Josefina Tommasi.

A Che stencil alongside those of Bolivian President Evo Morale (right) and unidentified politician (center) on a political mural in La Paz, Bolivia. Photo by Michael Casey

A Venezuelan woman at a rally in favor of President Hugo Chavez, Caracas. Her “Fantastic Four of the Revolution” T-shirt shows the images of Símon Bolivar, Chavez, Che and Fidel Castro. Photo by Michael Casey

The idealized myth of Che Guevara and his unwavering commitment to a cause translate variously into different fields of endeavor, where the icon simply connotes endurance and determination. Here, a mountain climber at the summit of Mt. Fuji, Japan, wears the image on his sleeve. Photo by Pablo Bertorello Rodriguez.

For others, Che is a straight symbol of rebellion and freedom. Perhaps that’s why the image appears on this motorcycle in Mauritius. Photo by Anton Bowker-Douglass.