Mausoleo de Artigas

Beneath the central Plaza Independencia lies the granite mausoleum holding the remains of José Gervasio Artigas, the national hero regarded as the father of Uruguayan independence. An honour guard stands beside the urn in a solemn underground chamber lit through openings in the plaza above. At street level, a large equestrian statue of Artigas marks the site. The monument, completed in the twentieth century, is the focus of national commemorations and a place of reflection at the heart of the capital.