Gaucho Monument

Here we are in front of the Gaucho Monument, one of the most emblematic and iconic equestrian sculptures in Montevideo. We are located right on the main artery of the city, Avenida 18 de Julio, with the Municipal Palace very close.. History. To understand the importance of this work, we must go back to 1919, when Dr. Alejandro Gallinal proposed in the Rural Federation the idea of ​​paying tribute to the figure of the gaucho. A national competition was held and won by the prominent Uruguayan sculptor José Luis Zorrilla de San Martín. Between 1922 and 1925, the artist conceived and modeled the sculpture. As there were no foundries in Uruguay at that time with the technical capacity required for a piece of such magnitude, the plaster molds had to be sent to Belgium to be cast in bronze and subsequently transported by sea from the port of Antwerp to Montevideo. Finally, the monument was officially inaugurated on December 31, 1927. The choice of that date was not coincidental: it sought to commemorate two historical milestones of Uruguayan independence, the taking of the Santa Teresa fort and the battle of Cerrito. In 1976, the work was declared a National Historic Monument. Present. Today, the complex consists of an imposing bronze statue sitting on a pink granite pedestal. The main figure represents the gaucho soldier mounted on…

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