It “is possible” that former Cuban President Fidel Castro appears on Colombia’s 1,000 peso bill, said Jose Dario Uribe, the Director of the Central Bank.
The bill, which has been in circulation since 2006, features charismatic Colombian presidential candidate Jorge Eliecer Gaitan speaking to a captive crowd. On one side of the bill, Gaitan’s right arm is raised, waving at the audience. Below his right arm is a face, highlighted in black, that looks suspiciously similar to that of a young Fidel.
The search is on for the designer of the bill, Jose Antonio Suarez, to confirm whether a 22-year-old Castro does in fact appear on the note, and whether this was an intentional move on the part of the artist, according to Uribe.
El Comandante was in Bogota in 1948, and met Gaitan just days before his assassination on April 9, 1948. He has said in interviews that he was captivated by the Liberal Party leader and participated in the “Bogotazo” riots that followed his killing, leaving an estimated 5,000 dead.