The monument to general Güemes in Salta, Argentina, is my favorite one in the world.
General Güemes is an important figure in the independence of Argentina, as a strategist and a brave warrior. He defeated spanish troops with a bunch of northern amateur soldiers using the terrain to his favor. Something like a modern Leonidas.
Higher ups at Buenos Aires did not want to send more troops to help him, fearing his overwhelming popularity and proficiency in battle.
The one who acknowledge him was the greatest general of Argentina, San Martín, who freed Argentina, Chile and Perú. However, even he could not go against higher orders.
So Güemes continued fighting until the end, when he was ambushed at a house and fatally wounded. He died three days later, not without giving orders to make sure things go on their way once he was gone.
When I was a kid I would play in the hill behind it, climb the rocks on the skirts or stare at the ever changing water in the fountains around the monument.
Even during scorching summers, the air here was always fresh. During rainy days, this was one of my favorite spots to bike to since the clouds would land on the hill, and some times a gentle fog would surround the monument. I liked to think that the general was up above the clouds, watching, protecting.
