Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
: ''Monumento a Colón'') is an instance of public art in
Valladolid
Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...
, Spain. Located on the centre of the namesake , in the southeastern corner of the
Campo Grande
Campo Grande (, ) is a city in the Central-West Region, Brazil, central and western Regions of Brazil, region of Brazil, Capital city, capital of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Historically a Fortification, stronghold of Separatism, separatists ...
, the monument is dedicated to
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...
.
History and description
Conceived in the context of the celebrations for the 400th anniversary of Columbus' arrival to the Americas, the project follows a design by (died 1896). Commissioned by the
Spanish Government
The government of Spain () is the central government which leads the executive branch and the General State Administration of the Kingdom of Spain.
The Government consists of the Prime Minister and the Ministers; the prime minister has the o ...
, the bronze parts were cast in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
at the . The monument was initially intended to be erected at
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Parque Central, yet the Cuban rebellion and ensuing independence from Spain aborted such plans. The bronze elements remained then in Paris while the ashlar pieces were stored in
Pontevedra
Pontevedra (, ) is a city in the autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. It is the capital of both the ''Pontevedra (comarca), Comarca'' and Province of Pontevedra, and the capital of the Rías Baixas. It is als ...
. Valladolid, death place of the Genoese explorer, competed with other Spanish cities such as
Seville
Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...
and
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
for the monument. The
Council of Ministers
Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...
decided to award the monument to the city of Valladolid in 1901.
The building works relative to the concrete socle were carried out by the Compañía anónima de Hormigón armado de Sestao in 1903. The monumental ensemble was unveiled on 14 September 1905.
Four bronze reliefs on the pedestal illustrate events in the life of Columbus, including the meeting of Columbus with some friars (dominicans from
Salamanca
Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...
or franciscans from
La Rábida
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
*La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
*"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...
), the departure from the port of Palos, the arrival to the Americas and the reception by the Catholic Monarchs in Barcelona. Four seated statues representing ''Study'', ''History'', ''Nautics'', and ''Value'' lie on the four corners of the monument. The truncated pyramid conforming the middle body of the monument completes with a medallion of the
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs were Isabella I of Castile, Queen Isabella I of Crown of Castile, Castile () and Ferdinand II of Aragon, King Ferdinand II of Crown of Aragón, Aragon (), whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of ...
, a regal coats of arms featuring the
Eagle of Saint John
The Eagle of Saint John () is a heraldic eagle associated mostly with the Catholic Monarchs which was later used during Francoist Spain (1938–1977) and the Spanish transition to democracy (1977–1981). It is sable with an or halo and feet of gu ...
, an image of the
Virgin Mary
Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
and a lion crowned by a
castle
A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
.
Above, the Earth globe, made of white stone from the quarries of Ibeas, is circumvented by a bronze ribbon that reads , with the letter'' '' ''from the later motto being scratched by the lion from below. Above the globe, a kneeling figure of Columbus and a cloaked and veiled female allegory of ''Faith'' holding a cross and a 2-liter chalice top the monument, that stands 16.40 metre high and weighs 7,000 kg.
On 12 October 2019, the monument came out covered in red paint and tagged with a
graffiti
Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...
reading: ' ("
Spanish nationalism
The creation of the tradition of the political community of Spaniards as common destiny over other communities has been argued to trace back to the Cortes of Cádiz. From 1812 on, revisiting the previous history of Spain, Spanish liberalism tende ...
is Fascism"). Left-wing and Castilian nationalist youth organization 'Yesca' took credit of the authorship of the vandal attack in social media.
File:Callejeando por Valladolid (35347699055).jpg, One of the basement's bronze reliefs
File:Detalle del monumento a Cristóbal Colón en Valladolid 6.JPG, The coat of arms
File:EstatuaColonValladolid.jpg, Columbus and ''Faith''
See also
*
List of monuments and memorials to Christopher Columbus
This is a list of monuments and memorials to Christopher Columbus.
Holidays
* Argentina
** The holiday was changed from ''El día de la Raza'' (The Day of the Race) (1916) to "Day of Respect of Cultural Diversity" in 2010.
* Colombia
** ''E ...