Plaza Murillo is in the heart of La Paz. Within it, and rising majestically from a grassy circle, is a statue dedicated to the plaza's namesake, Pedro Domingo Murillo. Murillo was a Bolivian patriot who, along with several others in the area, rebelled against their Spanish overlords in July of 1809. Their rebellion was short-lived, and Murillo and his fellow revolutionaries were hanged on this spot in January of the following year. However, Murillo's final speech to his people ending with the words "Long live Freedom!" helped ignite a movement that would eventually lead to Bolivia's independence. The monument by Italian sculptor Ferruccio Cantella shows Murillo standing on top of a column with symbolic statues representing liberator, lion and motherhood surrounding the base.
Another monument about the resistance to Spanish rule is found in the city of Cochabamba. The monument to the Heroines of the Coronilla memorializes a fight against the Spanish army here on May 27, 1812. Led by Josefa Manuela Gandarillas, an almost blind 60-year-old woman, the resistance mainly consisted of women, children, and the elderly. Although the defenders of the city were slaughtered by the army, their bravery has been immortalized in a monument that stands on San Sebastian Hill to the south of the city. The monument features a woman standing on top of a stone pedestal with a motley crew of defenders rallying near the base. In 1927, Bolivia declared May 27 as its Mother's Day holiday in remembrance of the sacrifice made by the mothers of the city.
Bolivia has other claims to fame, besides its resistance to the Spanish, such as its mining industry. The city of Oruro, for example, was originally founded in 1606 as a center for silver mining in the area. After this resource was exhausted in the late 19th century, tin mining followed. To commemorate its mining history, the city has erected a large, modern art version of a mining helmet, complete with a statue of the Virgin of Socavon, who devotees believe protects miners, peeping out from where the helmet's lamp would normally be. The helmet rests on pylons in the center of a traffic circle and is surrounded by smaller metal sculptures, such as a swimming sea dragon and a large toad.
