Originally constructed in 1944 by Rafael Trujillo, aka El Jefe, who ruled the nation for 30 years, this imposing monument—set on a hill in downtown Santiago—was intended to honor the dictator himself. Following Trujillo’s assassination in 1961, it was renamed and rededicated, and now honors those who fought in the Dominican Restoration War from 1863 to 1865. Bronze statues of the generals that led the country in its struggle for independence from Spain stand on the steps of the eight-story monument. (The Dominican Republic first achieved independence from Spain in 1844; Spain then reannexed the country in 1861. Hence the 1863–1865 war was a “restoration” of its freedom. Inside the monument is a museum that will help you make sense of the complicated history of this place.)
