Peace Monuments in South America & the Caribbean (except Brazil & Mexico)

Click here for Brazil. Click here for Mexico.

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Argentina

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1901, 1921 & 1914 - Obilisks in Puerto Iguazú, Misiones (Argentina), Alto Paraná (Paraguay) & Foz do Iguacu, Paraná (Brazil) on their respectives sides of the confluence of the Paraná & Iguazú Rivers. Each obilisk is painted in its national colors & is visible from the other two obilisks. The new monument in Puerto Iguazú (qv) was constructed in 2015 alongside the Argentine obilisk. Dates courtesy of guide Marcela A. Elia.

Date?-2015 - Hito Tres Fronteras / Three Frontiers Monument, Tres Fronteras Avenue, Puerto Iguazu, Misiones (Argentina). Year of construction unknown. This monument was replaced in 2015 by the new shiney metal monument (qv).

March 13, 1904 - Cristo Redentor de los Andes / Christ of the Andes, Uspallata Pass, Andes Mountains (Argentina/Chile). Celebrates the Peace of King Edward VII [1841-1910] of England. The statue was cast from melted military armaments, and hauled thirteen thousand feet to the top of the mountain by the armies of both nations. The monument was on the cover of Time Magazine, December 17, 1928.

Since 1977 - Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires (Argentina). "The plaza, since 1977, is where the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo have congregated with signs and pictures of desaparecidos, their children, who were subject to forced disappearance by the Argentine military in the to the Dirty War of 1976-1983, during the National Reorganization Process. People perceived to be supportive of subversive activities (that would include expressing left-wing ideas, or having any link with these people, however tenuous) would be illegally detained, subject to abuse and torture, and finally murdered in secret. The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo took advantage of the symbolic importance of the Plaza to open the public's eyes to what the military regime was doing." The plaza itself is therefore an unintentional monument, but does it now contain a plaque or other permanent intentional monument of any kind? /// Left image shows Pirámide de Mayo decorated with photos of the desaparecidos in 2004. Right image shows white shawl of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, painted on the ground in the plaza.

After 1983 - Centro Popular de Memoria, Rosario (Argentina). "A former illegal detention center in the headquarters of the provincial police of Santa Fe, in Rosario, now a memorial." Translation of banner: "Former secret center for the detention, torture & disappearance of persons."

1986 - Monumento por la Paz y la Amistad de los Pueblos / Monument for Peace and Friendship of Peoples, Paso de los Libres, Corrientes (Argentina). "Located on a hill from where you can enjoy the scenery that surrounds it. To foot the plaque in adhesion is the [UN] International Year of Peace, to promote spiritual, cultural & social integration of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay & Brazil." [Google translation]. Paso de los Libres lies on the right-hand (western) shore of the Uruguay River, opposite the city of Uruguaiana, Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), to which it is joined by a road & railway bridge (Paso de los Libres-Uruguaiana International Bridge).

May 1996 - Auditorio de la Paz / Peace Auditorium, SGI-Argentina , Buenos Aires (Argentina). "Serves as a venue not only for SGI activities but also for community events such as concerts & symposia. Designed by Clorindo Testa, hailed as one of Argentina's most important architects."

February 3, 1998 - Campana de la Paz Mundial / World Peace Bell, Jardin Japonés / Japanese Garden Center, Buenos Aires (Argentina). Commemorates centennial of peace between Argentina & Japan. One of 20 WPB's placed in 16 different countries by the World Peace Bell Association of Tokyo (Japan).

1998 - Bust of Mahatma Gandhi, Plaza Sicilia, Buenos Aires (Argentina). "In 1998 [sic], on the 50th anniversary of India’s independence, that nation gifted a bust of Mahatma Gandhi to the city of Buenos Aires, and it is positioned along Libertador not far along to the east. The statue is a work by Indian sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar, who also sculpted the bust of Gandhi that sits at East 21st Street and 2nd Avenue in Manhattan, along with many statues that grace government buildings throughout India."

2000 - Plaque entitled "Sri Chinmoy International Peace Falls," Iguazu Falls, Iguazu River (between Argentina & Brazil).

October 2006 - Monumento al escape/Monument to the Escape, Parque de la Memoria/Memory Park, Buenos Aires (Argentina). Sculpted by American Dennis Oppenheim [1938-2011]. "Commemorates the victims of Argentina’s 'Dirty War' in 1976 to 1983 in which 10 to 30,000 people disappeared as a result of the Argentinian state’s war on its own population. The park was a proposal from human rights groups. The decision to build the park construction was made in 1988. Several monuments were erected in 2006 (such as this one). The main memorial was erected in 2007." /// "El Parque de la Memoria es un espacio público ubicado frente al Río de la Plata en la zona norte de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (Argentina) con el fin de recordar a las víctimas del régimen militar de terrorismo de estado conocido como Proceso de Reorganización Nacional (1976-1983)."

Date? - Central Plaza, Parque de la Memoria/Memory Park, northern end of the Belgrano section, Buenos Aires (Argentina).

2007 - Parque de la Memoria/Memory Park, northern end of the Belgrano section, Buenos Aires (Argentina). A work in progress "in front of the Río de la Plata estuary. A memorial to the victims of the 1976–83 military regime (known as the "National Reorganization Process") during the Dirty War, a period of unprecedented state-sponsored violence in Argentina." Left image shows ''Our Disappeared'' filmmaker Juan Mandelbaum looking at images of the Belaustegui children on a tarp with pictures of other missing persons at Memory Park in Buenos Aires. /// The park contains 18 sculptures ("12 of which were chosen through a competition, the other 6 by artists with a commitment to human rights"). The sculptures belong to: Roberto Aizenberg (Sin título - See below), Magdalena Abakanowicz (Figuras caminando), Germán Botero (Huaca), Juan Carlos Distéfano (Por gracia recibida), Claudia Fontes (Reconstrucción del retrato de Pablo Míguez), Norberto Gómez (Torres de la memoria), Grupo de arte callejero (Carteles de la memoria - See below), Nicolás Guagnini (30.000 - See below), Jenny Holzer (Sin título), Rini Hurkmans (Pietà de Argentina), Per Kirkeby (Memoria espacial), Dennis Oppenheim (Monumento al escape - See above), Marie Orensanz (Pensar es un hecho revolucionario - See below), Marjetica Potrc (La casa de la historia), Nuno Ramos (Olimpo). Clorindo Testa (Sin título), William Tucker (Victoria) & Leo Vinci (Presencia).

Date? - Sin título/Unnamed, Parque de la Memoria/Memory Park, frente al Río de la Plata, Zona Norte, Buenos Aires (Argentina). "Escultura de Matilde Herrera y Roberto Aizenberg [1928-1996] representando seres fragmentados... Fin de recordar a las víctimas del régimen militar de terrorismo de estado conocido como Proceso de Reorganización Nacional (1976-1983)."

Date? - "Pensar es un hecho revolucionario", Parque de la Memoria/Memory Park, northern end of the Belgrano section, Buenos Aires (Argentina). By Marie Orensanz of Argentina." The inscription means "Thinking Is a Revolutionary Act." "It reminds us that, at the time of the Dirty War, acts as trivial as carrying a book could awaken suspicion & result in a person being labelled as a subversive."

Date? - Carteles de la memoria/Memory Signs, Parque de la Memoria/Memory Park, northern end of the Belgrano section, Buenos Aires (Argentina). By Grupo de Arte Callejero (GAC)/Street Art Group. "The installation that grabbed me as an activist & teacher was a series of road signs illustrating events & policies before, during & after the dictatorship. I knew that the artists used the signs to indicate 'changing conditions on the road ahead' during that time period."

2007 - Monumentao a las Víctimas del Terrorismo de Estado/Memorial to the Victims of State Terrorism, Parque de la Memoria/Memory Park, Buenos Aires (Argentina). "This is the main memorial in the park." "Composed of four concrete walls with a total of 30,000 stone plates. 9,000 are etched with the names & ages of those who were kidnapped, tortured & killed by the military. Forming what the city government calls an open wound in the landscape, names are set in relief & each styled like the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC. The official website has more information, but only in Spanish. It also includes a database of the victims."

2009 - "30,000," Parque de la Memoria/Memory Park, northern end of the Belgrano section, Buenos Aires (Argentina). "I was also moved by Nicolás Guagnini’s 30.000, named in the Spanish style for the 30,000 desaparecidos cited by human rights groups. Guagnini’s uncles, cousins & father were kidnapped & disappeared by the military regime – his father when Nicolás was 10 years old. The image on the sculpture is taken from the photo of his father that his grandmother carried in demonstrations."

July 2015 - Hito Tres Fronteras / Three Frontiers Monument, Tres Fronteras Avenue, Puerto Iguazu, Misiones (Argentina). A shiny metal fountain surrounded by modern benches. Second image shows Schera Chadwick at one of several pillars which are inscribed "3 nations, 3 identities, 3 cultures, 3 frontiers" & speak about regional features in 3 languages (Spanish, Portuguese & English). Third image is view from the monument showing Brazil at right across the Iguazu River & Paraguay at left across the Paraná River. The Espaço das Américas / Space of the Americas conference center, is seen on the Brazilian bank in Foz do Iguacu, Parana State; it was constructed in 1997 & is now virtually abandoned. Iguazu Falls are just upstream to the right. /// Photos by EWL October 2015.

Bolivia

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November 4, 1997 - Cristo de la Concordia / Christ of Peace, San Pedro Hill, Cochabamba (Bolivia). Statue of Jesus Christ accessible by cable car, or by climbing 2,000 steps. The statue is 34.20 metres (112.2 ft) tall, on a pedestal of 6.24 metres (20.5 ft), for a total height of 40.44 metres (132.7 ft). The statue is slightly larger than Christ the King in Swiebodzin (Poland) if the 2 metres (6.6 ft) high crown of Christ the King is not counted & Christ the Redeemer outside Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), making it the largest statue of Jesus Christ in the world. It is the third largest statue in the Southern Hemisphere, after the statue of Virgen de la Paz (Venezuela) & the statue of Saint Rita of Cascia (Brazil). The left hand of the statue points to the South, and the right points to the North.

Brazil

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Cayman Islands

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1919 - Peace Memorial Hall, Heroes Square, George Town, Grand Cayman Island (Cayman Islands). Built imediately after World War I in the heart of Old George Town.

Chile

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March 13, 1904 - Cristo Redentor de los Andes / Christ of the Andes, Uspallata Pass, Andes Mountains (Argentina/Chile). Celebrates the Peace of King Edward VII [1841-1910] of England. The statue was cast from melted military armaments, and hauled thirteen thousand feet to the top of the mountain by the armies of both nations. The monument was on the cover of Time Magazine, December 17, 1928.

1997 - Parque por la Paz Villa Grimaldi, Avenida Jose Arrieta, Penalolen, Santiago de Chile (Chile). Villa Grimaldi was a complex of buildings used for the interrogation and torture of political prisoners by DINA, the Chilean secret police, during the government of Augusto Pinochet [1915-2006]. Reclaimed by survivors & families and turned into a peace park. /// American Holly Near was invited here to sing her song Hay Una Mujer Decaparecida.

Columbia

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1972 - Hombre en Busca de Paz / Man in Search of Peace, Cementerio Campos de Paz, Medellín (Columbia). Bronce, edición monumental. Altura 15 m, peso 4 ton.

1998-April 2006 - Monumento de la Memoria, Comunidad de Paz, San José de Apartadó, Uraba (Colombia). "The Community was established on Palm Sunday, March 1997, the villagers declaring themselves neutral in the Colombian armed conflict." /// "In 1998, we constructed a monument to our assassinated members, built of painted stones with the names of those murdered." /// "The San José de Apartadó massacre was a massacre of five men & three children perpetrated by members of the Military of Colombia and United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia between February 21–22, 2005." /// "Founded by displaced people, the Community itself was displaced last year [2005] when the government installed a police post inside Community grounds - against the Community's wishes & its internal rules that prohibit the carrying of weapons or cooperation with any armed actor." /// "When we had to leave the Community last year [2005], we had to leave the monument... This April [2006], the police destroyed the monument in full view of members of the Community. That tells us that they do not want to have any communication with the Community, and that they don't want us to have our memory - they want to take everything away."

After 2007 - "Monument to Disarmament & Life," Parque Tercer Milenio / Third Millennium Park, Bogota (Columbia). Across from the Institute of Forensic Medicine. "The 5,682 firearms collected during 14 days of disarmament between 1996 & 2007 are now [fused in] the base of a monument." /// "This park was originally a really rough neighbourhood notorious for guns, drugs & prostitution, but the government bulldozed the place several years ago, replacing the slum with a park & this memorial which was made with the metal of hundreds of melted down weapons. Ironically the sculpture originally was covered with loads of metal doves to signify peace, but these were subsequently snapped off and sold…potentially to buy drugs and guns"

2008 - Peace Pole, University of Narino, San Juan de Pasto (Columbia). "Back in November 2007, I sent you all photos of Colombian artist Danilo Ortiz when he planted a lovely handmade artistic Peace Pole in his Colombian home town. Then he planted Peace Pole in 2008 at a University of Narino in San Juan de Pasto, Colombia. The peace pole at the university is part of his project 'Wall for Peace' (Murales por Paz). He lives & works most of the time in Austria, and is a member of 'Energy for Peace' there..." May Peace Prevail in Colombia! May Peace Prevail On Earth! Dagmar Berkenberg, World Peace Prayer Society, Munich, Germany office."

Future - Peace Pole, Border (Columbia & Ecuador). "Colombian artist Danilo Ortiz travels to Colombia this autumn to start his latest project: A 16 meter tall Peace Pole, made of melted weapons of former Colombian Guerilla Rebels. This Peace Pole will be donated to the Governor of the Colombian Province Pasto and will be planted at the border between Colombia & Ecuador. The Peace Pole will contain plaques of May Peace Prevail on Earth in several languages. These plaques shall also feature the signatures of prominent people, such as: Nelson Mandela, author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Bolivian President, Evo Morales, Peace Nobel Winner Rigoberta Menchu, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe & others. The plaques will be designed and crafted together with Austrian School Children in a Peace Workshop... May Peace Prevail in Colombia! May Peace Prevail On Earth! Dagmar Berkenberg, World Peace Prayer Society, Munich, Germany office."

Costa Rica

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Date? - Monumento "La Destruccion de las Armas," Parque la Paz / Peace Park, San Jose (Costa Rica). "Peace Park monument is surrounded with broken weapons. Costa Rica abolished their army in 1948."

December 1980 - University for Peace (UPAZ / UPEACE), Ciudad Colon, 30 kms southwest of San Jose (Costa Rica). Click here for the Wikipedia article.

1987 - Monument to Disarmament, Work & Peace, University for Peace (UPAZ / UPEACE), Ciudad Colon, 30 kms southwest of San Jose (Costa Rica). By Cuban artist Thelvia Marín. Honors Costa Ricans who have made outstanding efforts in building and maintaining peace. "World's largest peace monument."

September 1988 - Parque Internacional La Amistad (PILA) / La Amistad International Peace Park (Costa Rica & Panama). "Lies along the Talamanca mountain range. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990. ...a little less than half of it is in Costa Rica. That leaves 207,000 hectares on the Panama side. Nearly all of this land is in the province of Bocas del Toro, but the 3 percent of it that pokes into Chiriquí province is far more accessible."

November 19, 2000 - Statue of "The Peace Pilgrim," UN University for Peace, Ciudad Colon, 30 kms southwest of San Jose (Costa Rica). By Costa Rican sculptor Fernando Calvo. See other statue in New Jersey (USA).

Date? - National Peace Garden, Parque Francisco Morazán, San Jose (Costa Rica).

2003 - Museo para la Paz / Museum for Peace, La Fundación Arias para la Paz y el Progreso Humano, Avenida Segunda, costado oeste Plaza de la Democracia, San José (Costa Rica). Member of International Network of Museums for Peace (INMP). "La Plaza de la Democracia se construyó para conmemorar al mismo tiempo el primer siglo de vigencia del régimen democrático en Costa Rica y la Cumbre Hemisférica de Presidentes convocada en 1989 por el entonces mandatario costarricense Dr. Oscar Arias Sánchez, con el objetivo de impulsar el proceso de pacificación regional."

Cuba

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July 16, 1898 - Arbol de la Paz / Tree of Peace, Santiago de Cuba (Cuba). "On July 16, after sustaining more than 1,700 causalities the Spanish Army agreed to an unconditional surrender of all 23,500 troops that had been scattered about the city." "Armistice signed at the Arbol de La Paz (a large ceiba tree) by US and Spanish forces. The Cuban Liberation Army did not participate in the act."

M E E T I N G

Date? - Friends Meeting House, Gibara (Cuba). "Sylvester & May Mather Jones arrived in Cuba in 1900 & established a Friends mission in Gibara, where they remained until 1927." /// Photo taken in April 2010.

M E E T I N G

Date? - Cuba Friends Meeting House, city? (Cuba).

M E E T I N G

Date? - Friends Meeting House, city? (Cuba).

1926 - Cuban American Friendship Urn, Potomac Park, 14th Street & Ohio Drive, Washington, DC (USA). "Also called the 'Maine Memorial.' Most obscure memorial in Washington, DC. Location out of the way; the main dedicatory plaque is difficult to see, has small print, and is located eight feet off the ground; and, having climbed up the sides of the memorial to read the plaques, one discovers they are written in Spanish. The marble urn on top once stood atop a column of marble in Havana (Cuba) to commemorate the sailors who lost their lives aboard the USS Maine [in 1898] and the friendship between Cuba and the US. A hurricane in October 1926 knocked the marble column over and the urn was added to this marble plinth and sent to the US. For a number of years it stood outside the Cuban Embassy; then, when relations between the U.S. and Cuba deteriorated [in 1959?], the memorial was moved to this location."

1928 - Arbol de la Fraternidad Americana / Pan-American Fraternity Tree, Parque de la Fraternidad Americana Havana (Cuba). "This historical & political tree was planted in 1928, during the VI Pan American Conference held at Havana [January 16 - February 20, 1928]. It is a ceiba-tree, & earth was sent by every American Country to plant this tree which must grow with the good will of Latin & Saxon Americas towards Peace & Progress in a friend-ship way." /// "As a remembrance of the VI Pan-American Conference, the Fraternity Tree was planted in this square, which has taken this name. Secretary of P.W., Mr. Cespedes, has made great success in planning this handsome square on Parisian lines built in the tropics, with tropical gardens and plants and colonial details. Havana is continually beautifying herself; this is only the start. Sooner or later Havana will be the prettiest city of all of the Americas. Come again!" 1 of 40 monuments in "Peace Symbols" by Zonia Baber (1948), pp. 36-37. Images are postcards from 1941 & 1947.

December 8, 2000 - Statue of John Lennon, John Lennon Park, Vedado district, Havana (Cuba). Sculpted by Cuban artist José Villa Soberón. Unveiled by Fidel Castro. On a marble tile at the foot of the bench there is an inscription reading: "Dirás que soy un soñador pero no soy el único." ("You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.") from the song "Imagine." /// From the moving speech given by Ricardo Alarcon, President of the Cuban Parliament, the day the statue was dedicated: "This place will always be a testimonial to struggle, a summoning to humanism. It will also be a permanent homage to a generation that wanted to transform the world, and to the rebellious spirit, innovative, of the artist who helped forge that generation and at the same time is one of its most authentic symbols... Our boat will continue sailing. Nothing will stop it. It is driven by "a wind that never dies." They will call us dreamers but our ranks will grow. We will defend the vanquished dream and struggle to make real all dreams. Neither storms nor pirates will hold us back. We will sail on until we reach the new world that we will know how to build."

Ecuador

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1982 - Museo Etnográfico Mitad del Mundo / Middle of the World Ethnographic Museum, Cuidad Mitad del Mundo, Quito (Equador). Marks the Equator. Topped by a 4.5 meter diameter, 5-ton globe.

February 17, 1999 - Campana de la Paz Mundial / World Peace Bell, Parque de la Carolina, Quito (Ecuador). One of 20 WPB's placed in 16 different countries by the World Peace Bell Association of Tokyo (Japan).

El Salvador

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After 1981 - Monumento a las víctimas de la Masacre del Mozote / Memorial for the victims of the El Mozote Massacre, El Mozote (El Salvador). "The El Mozote Massacre took place in and around the village of El Mozote, in Morazán department, El Salvador, on December 11, 1981, when the Salvadorean Army killed more than 800 civilians in an anti-guerrilla campaign during the Salvadoran Civil War."

Date? - Monumento a las víctimas de la Masacre del Mozote / Memorial for the victims of the El Mozote Massacre, El Mozote (El Salvador).

1992 - Monumento a la Paz, Plaza Constitución, San Salvador (El Salvador). "This monument was built by Ruben Martinez in 1992 shortly after the signing of peace accords in order to symbolize the new constitution."

1994 - Christo de la Paz/Christ of Peace, on road to Comalapa International Airport, San Marcos (El Salvador). "Since 1994, it would represent a momentous event in the history of El Salvador, in the framework of the Central American and Caribbean Games in the same year. This imposing sculpture was done by Ruben Martinez, who also produced the Monument to the Constitution. It symbolizes the reconciliation was achieved between the right and left movements politics. In addition, the message reads "Peace be with you" and message to all the Salvadoran people. The material in this work was based on shell casings, brass and bronze. It says it also seized weapons used by both sides during the conflict. Around the square representing the Peace Accords in El Salvador occurred. -- Google translation.

Guatemala

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About 1996? - Peace Monument & White Rose, Courtyard, Palacio Nacional de la Cultura / National Palace of Culture, Guatemala City (Guatemala). Former National Palace. "They have a tradition concerning peace and a symbol of peace, the White Rose. To celebrate another day of peace in their country and the ever-fresh peace process, at about 11:30 AM, the Army Honor Guard, changes a white rose that has been placed on a monument in the court yard with another fresh white rose. The day old white rose, symbolizing 24 hours of peace, is then given to a guest of the country in a ceremony." NB: Guatemalan civil war lasted from 1960 until 1996. /// "Son dos manos que sueltan alvuelo a una paloma, una mensajera de la paz. Esta escultura se encuentra ubicada frente a la municipalidad de la ciudad de la Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción."

Honduras

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July 19, 1996 - Monumento a la Paz, Tegucigalpa (Honduras). "The monument and Hill have been part of the life of the capital and has had dark moments and forgotten. For years the site was cleared of its trees and ongoing victim of fire, but their situation is changing. A renovation plan devised by the municipality Central District includes the reforestation and the construction of a megapark. Its purposes are the ecological rescue of the lung of the capital Tegucigalpa and provide a playground for families." [Google translation from Spanish].

Jamaica

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June 30, 2016 - Memorial to Mary Seacole, Garden of St Thomas’ Hospital, London (England). On banks of the River Thames. Mary Seacole [1805-1881] was "the Jamaican-born nurse [who] set up the British Hotel near Balaclava to provide soldiers with food and care during the Crimean War. More than £500,000 was raised for the bronze statue, created by sculptor Martin Jennings, which is the first statue to a named black woman in the UK." Information courtesy of Peter van den Dungen.

Martinique (France)

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May 22, 1998 - Anse Cafard Slavery Memorial, Anse Cafard. Le Diamant (Martinique). Also called "Cap 110." "Commemorates the 150th anniversary of the emancipation of slaves in the French West Indies. Comprised of 20 large, hulking figures bearing stoic, brooding expressions, each 8 feet tall. Shoulders hunched & heads bowed, the figures stare out to the sea from what is an otherwise pleasant and breezy grassy field... On the night of April 7, 1830, a ship carrying a cargo of Africans sank in the rocky waters off the coast of Le Diamant. More than 40 would-be slaves, shackled together in the ship’s hull, drowned. The tragedy is artfully memorialized by Martinican sculptor Laurent Valére. The statues, composed of cast concrete & sand, are arranged in a triangle in reference to the triangular trade. They’re also standing at an angle of 110º directly in line with the Gulf of Guinea."

Mexico

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Netherlands Antilles

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October 3, 1998 - Statue of Tula, Bazjan Karpata & Sablika, near Holiday Beach Hotel, South Coast (Curaçao). Also called "Monument to End Slavery." Depicts Tula & rebel slaves. This is the site where Tula was executed on October 3, 1795.

S T A T U E

June 12, 2011 - Anne Frank statue, Wilhelmina Park, Aruba (Netherlands Antilles). Dedicated on Anne Frank's birthday. "Created in the Netherlands by Dutch bronze artist Joep Coppens, who used the same process to create the bronze statue as was used in ancient times. Once finished, the statue was packed up and transported on a KLM Cargo plane to Aruba, where the statue will be unveiled in its new home in the Wilhelmina Park."

May 31, 2014 - Rotary Peace Monument, Jubilee Library, Philipsburg, Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles). Inscribed "The Rotary Peace Monument was created by the Rotary Clubs on St. Maarten / Saint-Martin...as a commitment to promote world peace, empower our citizens to overcome violence and injustice, and bring peace, dignity and prosperity to our community." Information courtesy of Angela Letetia Gordon, President 2013-2014, Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise.

Nicaragua

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1990 - Parque de la Paz / Peace Park, Plaza de la Paz / Peace Square, downtown Managua (Nicaragua). Commemorates the end of the Contra Conflict [1979-1990]. "The fierce weapon-buying campaign of President Violeta Chamorro (who became president on on April 25, 1990) eradicated the threat of persisting violence." "Basically, a huge hole was dug in the ground and then filled with guns and cement, part of the park sculpted into a lighthouse and an abstract modern structure of squares, while the other part of the park is really rough and crude, and looks as if they poured a bunch of concrete on the edge of a small hill and then started jamming rifles into the quickly setting concrete." The park now suffers from neglect, homelessness, and valdalism. Lower left image shows cement-covered AK-47's.

Date? - Monumento de la Paz / Peace Monument, Parque de la Paz / Peace Park, Plaza de la Paz / Peace Square, downtown Managua (Nicaragua). "Concrete encased tank left over from the Contra War [of the late 1980's]."

Date? - Peace Monument, León (Nicaragua). Also known as Monumento de Heroes y Martires / Monument of Heroes & Martyrs. No further information.

Panama

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September 1988 - Parque Internacional La Amistad (PILA) / La Amistad International Peace Park (Costa Rica & Panama). "Lies along the Talamanca mountain range. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990. ...a little less than half of it is in Costa Rica. That leaves 207,000 hectares on the Panama side. Nearly all of this land is in the province of Bocas del Toro, but the 3 percent of it that pokes into Chiriquí province is far more accessible."

Puerto Rico (USA)

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1998 - Estatua de Eugenio Maria de Hostos, Hostos Plaza, Ciudad vieja, San Juan (Puerto Rico). Known as El Ciudadano de América / The Citizen of the Americas, Eugenio Maria de Hostos [1839-1903] was a Puerto Rican educator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist & independence advocate. "He is highly reknowned in Chile, Peru, the Dominican Republic & some other latin Amerian nations where he traveled and worked. What is left of him is in the Dominican Republic where he has an honor guard 24/7. Supposedly, he wanted what was left of him to be taken back to Puerto Rico when PR becomes Independent." /// "In Puerto Rico there are two monuments dedicated to Hostos: * One sculpture created by reowned sculptor Tomás Batista located into a small plaza at side of Highway #2 in the northern entrance of his native city of Mayagüez. (There is a local grassroots movement claiming relocalization of this statue to more centrical place.) * Another one created by Jose Buscaglia Guillermety. Recently, located inside the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus in San Juan."

Saint Vincent & the Grenadines

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Date? - Peace Memorial Hall, Murray Road, near Kingstown (Saint Vincent & the Grenadines). Image shows "the section of Murray Road close to Kingstown. The pink building in the center is Peace Memorial Hall and the open area to the right has playing fields."

Uruguay

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1944 - Pax in Lucem / Peace in the Light," Pabellón Martirené del Hospital de Saint Bois, Montevideo (Uruguay). One of the best known pictures [by] Joaquín Torres García [1874-1949], probably the most famous Uruguayan plastic artist..." The style, or more precisely, the school created by Garcia is the Universal Constructivism, based in many concepts, one of them being the dissociation between color & form, there is a message written in the lines & a second message written in the color. Accordingly, we can remove color from a Torres García painting & still have part of the message..." /// Burned in 1968. Réplica realizada por Museo Torres García.

1944 - El Pez / The Peace, Hall del Museo Torres García, Montevideo (Uruguay). By Joaquín Torres García [1874-1949]. Réplica de Horacio Torres. 1944

December 1960-November 1975 - "Raíces de la Paz" / "The Roots of Peace," Organization of American States (OAS), 17th Street & Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC (USA). "In the tunnel connecting the OAS Building with its Administration Building two blocks away is a 162-meter [sic] / 200-foot mural depicting various themes of peace & development in the Americas. World's widest mural? Painted by Uruguayan artist Carlos Paez Vilaró [b.1923] who also painted a mural for the UN building in New York City." Restored in 2002 by Roberto Arce. Both photos by EWL.

Date? - Monumento da Paz / Peace Monument, Praça Internacional, Santana do Livramento, Rivera (Uruguay) / Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). On border between Uruguay & Brazil.

USA

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April 26, 1910 - Organization of American States (OAS), 17th Street & Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC (USA). "On April 14, 1890, delegates created the International Union of American Republics 'for the prompt collection and distribution of commercial information.' They also established the Commercial Bureau of the American Republics in Washington as the Union's secretariat, with the participation of 18 Western Hemisphere nations, including the USA. In 1910, the Commercial Bureau became the Pan American Union, and American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie [1835-1919] donated $5 million to construct a permanent headquarters in Washington, DC, which is today the historic OAS building." Lower image shows interior courtyard.

T R E E

April 26, 1910 - Peace Tree, Organization of American States (OAS), 17th Street & Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC (USA). "Prominent among the lush vegetation of the OAS patio. A hybrid of fig and rubber. Planted by President William Howard Taft [1857-1930] during the building's dedication ceremonies in 1910." Image shows John Barret (Director General), Bishop Harding, Amb. de la Barra (México), Andrew Carnegie, President Taft, Philander O. Knox (Secretary of State), Senator Elihu Root, James Cardinal Gibbons & Frederick D. Owen. On April 26, 2010, President Barak Obama "planted a new 'Peace Tree' as a symbol of the OAS’s renewed dedication to its core values of good faith and solidarity for the next 100 years." Left made 01Nov1011 by EWL.

1958 - Statue of Simon Bolivar, Virginia Avenue, E Street & 18th Street, NW, Washington, DC (USA). "The height of the tip of the sword touching 27 feet makes this eight-ton statue technically the tallest in town. Simon Bolivar [1783-1830] liberated what are now Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. Bolivia was named in his honor. Although he was hated at the time of his death, he has since become recognized and honored as the liberator of much of South America." Statue by Felix de Weldon [1906-2003] whoa lso sculpted the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.

December 1960-November 1975 - "Raíces de la Paz" / "The Roots of Peace," Organization of American States (OAS), 17th Street & Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC (USA). "In the tunnel connecting the OAS Building with its Administration Building two blocks away is a 162-meter [sic] / 200-foot mural depicting various themes of peace & development in the Americas. World's widest mural? Painted by Uruguayan artist Carlos Paez Vilaró [b.1923] who also painted a mural for the UN building in New York City." Restored in 2002 by Roberto Arce. Both photos by EWL.

1964 - John F. Kennedy Torch of Friendship, Bayfront Park, Miami, Florida (USA). Contains seals of Latin American countries. "In addition to the monument to Simon Bolivar, there is also an interesting monument to the Torch of Friendship among the countries of the Americas (minus Cuba, of course). The monument is dedicated to assassinated US President John F. Kennedy, and the design of the structure is very much reminiscent of the 1960’s (i.e. the typeface of the country names). There’s not much else to the Torch of Friendship, although it is an interesting stop on Biscayne Blvd."

Venezuela

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1963 onwards - El Monumento a la Paz / Peace Monument, Fundación Planeta Libre, Calle Cabriales con Luis Roche, Colinas de Bello Monte, Caracas (Venezuela). Built by Dr. Farid Mattar [born 1928]. "A temple of understanding that symbolizes the education for freedom & peace. It is an environmentally-friendly monument, made by recycling the filth of Caracas, each rock placed, in Dr. Mattar’s words, 'in the name of every Venezuelan child that will be born' Dr. Mattar’s development of his model of a Culture of Peace corresponded to the on-going construction at the site. The model suggests that we are the forces behind continuing transformations & that we are united both in heaven & on earth. In these moments, we are entering the monument’s highest floor. One may observe that there are no ceilings or walls, & the arcs point toward the sky, indicating the need of a contemporary man to find sense in life & to be transcendental."

	December 1983 - Virgen de la Paz / Virgin of the Peace, Cuidad de Trujillo (Venezuela). Created by sculptors Manuel de la Fuente and Rosendo Camargo, 46.72 meters high, one of the highest monuments of the Americas.

October 8, 2007 - Glass Monument to Che Guevara, near the top of El Aguila Peak, near Merida (Venezuela). "Was shot up and destroyed less than two weeks after it was unveiled by Venezuelan Vice President Jorge Rodriguez & Cuba’s ambassador to Venezuela to mark the 40th anniversary of Guevara’s death. The 1.5-inch-thick stele was erected at a popular tourist spot and one of the highest points in Venezuela (13,143 feet above sea level). Guevara visited this spot in 1952." Revolutionary icon Ernesto “Che” Guevara [1928-1967] was "was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat, military theorist & major figure of the Cuban Revolution. Since his death, his stylized visage has become a ubiquitous countercultural symbol & global insignia within popular culture."