General Manuel Belgrano is one of the great heroes of Argentine history. He was born in Buenos Aires and was a bit of a renaissance man — economist, lawyer, politician and military expert. He founded the school of Navigation in the late 18th century. After Spanish rule was overthrown in 1810, he was appointed general by the new civilian government. The General was one of the leaders who established the Argentine Declaration of Independence.
This equestrian bronze of the general rests on a pedestal, on a block of granite; he is holding the flag of Argentina. The statue was inaugurated in 1873 and sits outside of the city’s famous Casa Rosada. Since I last visited the area almost a decade before, the base of the statue has gathered a large collection of stones, each with someone’s name and year of birth and death. I’m not sure exactly why they’re there, but the area is known for being a site of political protests. I would assume that these rocks likely represent individuals thought to be victims of the country’s political system, although I don’t know that to be the case. Anyone have any background on these rocks? Please leave a comment if you do.
Thank you for that clarification, Becci!
The stones at Plaza de Mayo are in memory of the COVID victims in Argentina. Each stone has the name and dates of a victim. Some of them also have the professional or city of the victim.