Monumento del Llano Amarillo is a monument in the Spanish territory of

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...

, in the North of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, at the bottom of Mount Hacho. The fifteen metre monument was moved here from

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

in 1962 and it is one of the few sculptures left that record Spain's period of Nationalism following the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

History

The monument records an "oath before the battle" made by generals, led by General Yagüe, involved in the conspiracy that gave rise to the

on 12 July 1936. The monument was designed by the sculptor

Bonifacio López Torvizco Bonifacio may refer to: Places * Bonifacio, Corse-du-Sud, a town in Corsica, France * Strait of Bonifacio, separating Corsica from Sardinia * Bonifacio, Misamis Occidental, a municipality in the Philippines * Bonifacio Global City, a central busi ...

and the architect was

Francisco Martínez Hernanz Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Meaning of the name Francisco In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed " Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comm ...

. It was unveiled on 13 July 1940 in Llano Amarillo, near Issaguen, in the

Spanish Protectorate of Morocco The Spanish protectorate in Morocco was established on 27 November 1912 by a treaty between France and Spain that converted the Spanish sphere of influence in Morocco into a formal protectorate. The Spanish protectorate consisted of a norther ...

(now independent

). The monument is a symbol of the eventual defeat of the republican forces. The main monolith is fifteen metres high with stylized wings. General Yague led his troops across the

Straits of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Europe from Africa. The two continents are separated by 7.7 nautical miles (14.2 kilometers, 8.9 miles) at its narrowest point. Fe ...

from Ceuta. He joined up with other soldiers near Seville. Yague is a controversial figure as he is known to have killed thousands, including civilians and hospital patients, to avoid taking prisoners. The work was damaged by a five-person team financed by the Catalan banker and exile Josep Andreu Abelló. The team used paint to create the message "Amnesty and Freedom", referring to Spanish political prisoners at that time. In 1962, as a result of the independence of Morocco, the monument was moved to Ceuta. It was disassembled stone by stone in independent Morocco and it was then rebuilt at this location.Monolith
ceutaturistica.com, accessed 6 February 2013 The monument is one of the few in Spain or its remaining overseas territories which commemorates the time when General Franco ruled Spain, and while it is still controversial there have been no recent attacks on the monument.

References

Buildings and structures in Ceuta Francoist monuments and memorials in Spain 1940 in Morocco 1962 in Spain 1940 sculptures {{Plazadesoberanía-stub