The Spanish monument was designed by Catalan sculptor Agustín Querol Subirats. A large part of the statue was completed in 1914, but a final shipment of the bronze sculptures representing the four regions of Argentina sank en route to Argentina, and the final statue was not unveiled until 1926. Topped with a female figure, it is supported by symbols of industry, agriculture, commerce, peace, and justice. Carved in marble, it includes classical, angelic figures found in many of Querol Subirats’ other statues in Spain.

In this monument, like the French one, there are obvious references to Argentina alongside the highly European imagery and styles. This further linked the ethnic narrative of contribution to Argentina. Surrounding the Spanish monument were representations of four regions of Argentina (La Pampa, El Chaco, El Río de la Plata, and Los Andes). Manuel Durán, who led the Spanish committee that created the monument, stated at the inauguration that the four bronze statues “speak to the vastness and variety of Argentine territory.”
The monument aims to represent the greatest gift granted to Argentina by Spaniards: its Hispanic tradition. The monument aimed to evoke a united future for Argentinians and Spanish, as well as encourage a stronger sense of community among the Spanish living in Argentina. Carved on the monument are the words: “from a common stock – a common language – their destinies great”.



Inauguration of the Spanish Monument, 1926
Source: Monumento de los Españoles. Memoria de la Comisión Española del Centenario Argentino (Buenos Aires: Talleres Gráficos A. Contreras, 1927), 185.