Artigas' Mausoleum

If you are ever in Montevideo you need to visit the mausoleum of Artigas, Uruguay's national hero. But you may need to visit fast.


In the center of Plaza de Independencia is a statue of the beloved Artigas on a horse. This plaza is the heart of the city. Below the ground, down a few stairs, his body rests in well-guarded box. Two stoic, statuesque soldiers always stand by in full regalia guarding his remains. They don't move, ever. Even if you dance in front of the them waving your hands, they still won't recognize your presence. In the rest of the mausoleum, the lighting and block letters on the walls provide a very distinctive ambiance, that I find to be quite appealing.


Recently there has been some chatter about moving Artigas' eternal resting place because the mausoleo was built during the dictatorship in Uruguay. Some declare this is a political move, other say it is necessary to commemorate Artigas appropriately. No matter what the issue, when Artigas is involved, there is sure to be a firey discussion.

Batalla de Las Piedras

Today was another holiday in the wonderful nation of Uruguay which meant no school or work. Today was a celebration of the Batalla de Las Piedras (Battle of the Rocks).

The Battle of Las Piedras was part of Uruguay's independence movement, led by none other than the national hero, Jose Artigas, whom I mentioned earlier. He led a group of revolutionaries from the Provincia Oriental del Río de la Plata (modern-day Uruguay) to defeat the Spanish in 1811. And it was on the 18th of May that he uttered one of his most famous phrases, "Clemencia para los vencidos" (Mercy on the vanquished).


Of course, in celebration of Batalla de Las Piedras, I took a trip to the hot springs. I had intended to go one I had never been to before, but oops, I got on the wrong bus and ended up at the Termas Dayman again. Oh well.


Estaba bien. It was fine. I had a great time. I love the termas.


Being there at night was great too. The hot springs are different after the sun sets. They seem more toasty--but that could just be the visible steam wafting into the night sky.

We All Need A Hero

The national hero of Uruguay is José Gervasio Artigas Arnal, known as the the father of Uruguayan independence. He championed independence from Spain's centralized control in Buenos Aires, and eventually his work came to fruitation in the early 19th century.

In almost every city, there is a statue of him on his horse in a major plaza. There is a city named after him and an entire entire department (what we would call "state") in northern Uruguay. He also has bridges, airports, and schools (included the one I work at) named after him. The entire country is infatuated with Artigas.


Artigas was able to ascend to such a place of heroism because he represents military and political leadership without bipartisanship. He lived before the parties (traditionally the colorado and blanco parties) divided the political landscape of Uruguayan democracy.

I was trying to think of similar figures of national appeal in the United States and George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln were first ones to come to my mind. These men were not bipartisan figures in US history, and yet they each register as heros in our public memory for individuals of every political leaning. Interesting.