Monumento de Santiago
Coordinates | 19°27′03″N 70°41′42″W / 19.450696°N 70.695029°W |
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Location |
Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic |
Designer | Henry Gazón Bona |
Type | Victory Column |
Material | Marble |
Length | 67 m (219.8 ft) |
Beginning date | 1944 |
Completion date | 1944 |
Dedicated to | Dominican Restoration of Independence |
The Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración is a monument in the city of Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic. It was originally built during the dictatorship of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo in 1944 as "Trujillo's Monument to Peace." He ordered its construction in his own honor. Yet, symbolically the monument was built for the centennial of the Dominican War of Independence, which was fought in 1844 to gain sovereignty from Haiti.
After Trujillo's assassination in 1961, the government changed the name of the monument to, "Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración" (Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration). So it is now dedicated to the heroes of the Dominican Restoration War, fought from 1863 to 1865 against Dominican Colonist and Spanish forces. The heroes include, but are not limited to; Francisco del Rosario Sánchez and Gregorio Luperón.
The monument is located on a hill in the middle of Santiago, with spectacular views of the city and surrounding mountains. It also has a surrounding park and it is an attractive place at night where people go to relax.