This is another one of the many busts of Latin American leaders that you will see in downtown…read moreMiami. Read on as i continue to fill in the gaps of my knowledge of Latin American history. Captain Arturo Prat Chacón (1848-1879) is Chile's most honored naval hero. Born into a family of modest means, he entered the naval academy at the age of 10 and graduated at 18 as a midshipman. As a teenager, he fought in the Chincha Islands War against Spain. On May 21, 1879, during the Battle of Iquique in the War of the Pacific against Peru and Bolivia, he was given command of the Esmeralda, an old wooden ship that was in poor condition. He was attacked by the superior Peruvian ironclad Huáscar. Before the battle, he gave a famous speech to his crew: "Boys, the battle is unequal, but have courage and bravery. Our flag has never been lowered before the enemy, and I hope this will not be the occasion to do so." He refused to surrender, boarded the enemy ship during combat, and was killed in action at the age of 31. His courage inspired Chilean forces and made him a national symbol of honor, sacrifice, and patriotism. This bust was donated to the City of Miami by the local Chilean community on December 3, 2013. It was placed alongside monuments to other prominent Latin American figures, including Simón Bolívar. In 2023, it underwent a major restoration and continues to represent the Chilean population of Miami.

Next to the parking lot across from Bayside Marketplace and Bayfront Park sits the bust of Juan…read morePablo Duarte. I was always curious about it when I passed by through the years so I set out to learn more about it. I discovered that this bust was installed to honor the founding father of the Dominican Republic. The statue was installed in the 1970's, around the same time as other monuments to Latin American leaders in Bayfront Park. They were moved to the outskirts of the park in the 1980's when artist and landscape architect Isamu Noguchi was hired to redesign Bayfront Park Juan Pablo Duarte (January 26, 1813 - July 15, 1876) was a Dominican military leader, writer, activist, and nationalist politician. He joined forces with military general Ramón Matías Mella and Francisco del Rosario Sánchez. The trio organized and promoted the Trinitario movement, which eventually led to the Dominican revolt and independence from Haitian rule in 1844. Duarte paid a heavy price for his patriotism: he lost his wealth and was forced into exile, living in Venezuela until his death. Today, Duarte's birth is commemorated by Dominicans every January 26. In addition to honoring Juan Pablo Duarte, this monument also recognizes the broader Dominican-American community in South Florida. Flowers are laid here to honor Duarte for his role in gaining independence from Haiti. There is also a park named in his honor in Allapattah, known for its large Dominican population.

Next to the parking lot across from Bayside Marketplace and Bayfront Park sits the bust of Rubén…read moreDarío. I was always curious about it as I passed by over the years, so I set out to learn more about it. I discovered that this bust was installed to honor the man considered the "Prince of Spanish literature." The bust was dedicated in 1961, around the same time as other monuments to Latin American leaders in Bayfront Park. They were moved to the outskirts of the park in the 1980's when artist and landscape architect Isamu Noguchi was hired to redesign Bayfront Park. Rubén Darío (1867-1916) was an influential Nicaraguan poet, journalist, and diplomat. He began publishing poems when he was only 14 years old. He is best known as a leader of the Spanish American literary movement known as Modernismo, which reached its height at the end of the 19th century. Darío's first major literary work was Azul ("Blue"), a collection of short stories, descriptive sketches, and verse. In 1886, he left Nicaragua and traveled the world. In 1893, he was appointed Colombian consul in Buenos Aires. While working as a correspondent for the Buenos Aires newspaper La Nación in Europe in 1898, he became concerned about the future of Spanish America after the collapse of Spain's empire in the New World. In response, he wrote what is considered his masterpiece, Cantos de vida y esperanza (1905; "Songs of Life and Hope"). In 1914, on the brink of World War I, Darío left for New York, where he contracted pneumonia. He passed away shortly after returning home to Nicaragua. Today, Darío is considered by many to be one of the greatest poets to have written in Spanish. In addition to honoring Rubén Darío, this monument also recognizes the broader Nicaraguan community in South Florida. On September 15, 1992, Miami-Dade County Parks dedicated a park in Darío's honor. As you enter the park, you can see a large statue of Rubén Darío that was added in 1993.

Today we stopped to observe this special monument built in 1960, to emphasize the Torch of…read moreFriendship that was built to signify the passageway for immigrants coming from Latin America and the Caribbean to Florida. Sixty-five years later, we are observing a different climate between the nations due to current deportations performed in the US. We need to remember that we are all immigrants here and that next year the United States will celebrate its 250th birthday! In 1964 it was re-dedicated to the memory of President John F. Kennedy. He said "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country". Located at Bayside Park on Biscayne Blvd in downtown Miami in the northwest corner.

The Torch of Friendship monument is located at the northwest corner of Biscayne Blvd in front of…read moreBayfront Park. The idea of a memorial celebrating the immigrants of Latin American countries came from city manager Melvin L.Reese and mayor Robert King. The Miami City Commission agreed it was a good idea and arranged for it's construction. Thousands of refugees were fleeing from Cuba and Fidel Castro and the commissioners wanted Miami to stand as more than a geographical entrance into America. They wanted Miami to stand as beacon for the hope for a better life. Through the years the torch has been a popular place to stage demonstrations. Protests held here have been against Castro, for civil rights, against the Vietnam War, and for free speech. The monument was created serve the same purpose as Lady Liberty in New York, a welcome to immigrants coming to America's shores. The monument was conceived as a perpetually lit torch secured to a 18 foot high pillar surrounded by a patio and wall that contains the seals of each Latin American country. Statues of Simon Bolivar and Juan Ponce de Leon stand guard off to the side. The monument was dedicated in 1960 as a symbol of welcome for immigrants coming from Latin America and the Caribbean. In 1964 it was re-dedicated to the memory of the American president John F. Kennedy after his assassination. Kennedy had given a speech in Miami in 1960 praising the construction of the torch. The torch is currently unlit since at least November of 2019. The internal machinery that keeps the 2 foot high gas flame running needs to be replaced. Like fountains that are allowed to run dry in Miami, the Torch of Friendship has suffered from neglect. Five stars for this monument and what it stands for but one star to the City of Miami for letting the torch go out.

Keeping watch over the northern end of Bayfront park is the of Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon…read more You can find him next to the Torch of Friendship. Juan Ponce de Leon was the first Westerner to reach Florida. It is believed that he landed on the Florida coast near Melbourne beach on April 2, 1513. He was a conquistador and later became the first governor of Puerto Rico. Fun fact: Juan Ponce de Leon stood only 4 feet 11 inches tall. Legend has it that Juan Ponce de Leon was searching for the Fountain of Youth but research by Florida historian Douglas T. Peck suggests that he was searching for gold and to conquer and colonize the land for Spain. It is believed that he chose the name Florida because his arrival coincided with the easter feast, Pascua Florida. This statue was sculpted by Enrique Monjo and was donated by the Government of Spain in 1976. it was rededicated on May 22, 1995. It represents the historical connections between Spain and Florida as well as the legacy of exploration and colonization in the Americas.

While visiting the Miami Circle, arguably one of the most important archaeological finds in North…read moreAmerica, I first came across this sculpture called the Pillar of History, located mid-span on the Brickell Avenue Bridge where the Miami River meets Biscayne Bay. Miami is built on land first inhabited by the Tequesta nearly 2,500 years ago. The Tequesta were an Indigenous people who inhabited southeast Florida from Boca Raton to Key West, as well as the Everglades. They lived on fish, shellfish, berries, and small game, and were well adapted to the environment of South Florida. They thrived for nearly 2,000 years until they became victims of war and disease brought by Europeans in the 1500s. The prevailing theory is that the site of the circle was used by the Tequesta and may have served as the location of a council house. Many artifacts, including shell tools, stone axe heads, and human teeth, have been found at the site. The Pillar of History, created by Cuban artist Manuel Carbonell, memorializes Miami's first people, the Tequesta. It was commissioned by the Florida Department of Transportation and marked the department's first effort to integrate public art into a bridge design. The piece was installed in 1995 during the reconstruction of the Brickell Avenue Bridge and remains one of Florida's largest bronze monuments. The base features 16 bronze bas-reliefs honoring Miami's early pioneers, including Henry Flagler, D. A. Dorsey, William Brickell, Mary Brickell, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and Julia Tuttle. There are also 12 bronze bas-reliefs of local wildlife adorning the base of the flagpoles. The 36-foot-tall column consists of 158 figures that narrate the history of the Tequesta people. At the top of the column is a sculpture titled "Tequesta Family." It portrays a Tequesta warrior aiming an arrow toward the sky, searching for his place in eternity. Beside him is his wife, searching for a better life, while their son covers his face with his hands, aware of his people's inevitable extinction. The Brickell Avenue Bridge symbolically connects Miami's earliest inhabitants, the Tequesta, to its earliest pioneers, such as the Brickell family, for whom the area is named. As someone with an ardent passion for both art and history, the Pillar of History is one of my favorite public art sculptures in Miami. Now I look forward to seeing it every time I cross the bridge.

While recently visiting the Freedom Tower, I couldn't help but notice an eleven-foot-tall bronze…read moresculpture of a boy on crutches carrying a house on his back. Curious, I set out to learn more about it. The piece, by Cuban artist Enrique Martínez Celaya, is titled Tower of Snow. His inspiration came from his own exodus from Cuba as a child and from Operation Pedro Pan. During Operation Pedro Pan, more than 14,000 Cuban children were secretly sent to the United States between 1960 and 1962 by parents amid fears sparked by the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Many of the children were sheltered at Camp Matecumbe and Camp Kendall. Enrique Martínez Celaya channeled the feelings of loss, hope, and the search for a new identity into the piece. Tower of Snow was erected in 2012 during the 50th anniversary of Operation Pedro Pan, and it is part of the Miami Dade College Permanent Art Collection. The figure of the boy appears to be walking toward the Freedom Tower, nicknamed the "Ellis Island of the South." The Freedom Tower was home to the Cuban Assistance Center, where thousands of Cuban refugees were processed and welcomed from 1962 to 1974. Both Tower of Snow and the Freedom Tower represent Miami's strong ties to Cuba.

In honor of Black History Month I present the General Toussaint L'Ouverture Memorial Statue. I…read morediscovered this public art work while driving by during a trip to Little Haiti. Curious I stopped to learn more about it, Surrounding the statue is a small park with picnic tables, benches, and free roaming roosters. Toussaint L'Ouverture (1743-1803) was a former enslaved person. He became the leader of the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804), the world's only successful slave revolt, where enslaved people fought for and won freedom from French colonial rule, He is remembered for being a brilliant military strategist and diplomat, L'Ouverture became the governor-general and paved the way for Haiti to become the first independent Black republic on January 1, 1804. Sadly L'Ouverture was eventually betrayed by the French and exiled to France, where he died. An interesting byproduct of the Haitian Revolution led to the doubling of the size of the United States. France was so weakened by the Haitian Revolution that in1803 Emperor Napoleon I sold 828,000 square miles west of the Mississippi to the United States for $15 million. This was known as the Louisiana Purchase. The seven foot General Toussaint L'Ouverture Memorial Statue was erected in 2005 by the City of Miami at a cost of $35,000.. It was created by Miami Artist James Mastin who sculpted the art piece at his home studio. It was then molded, bronzed and welded at a foundry in West Palm Beach. About the piece Mastin has said "A heroic figure should make a statement and capture not only the person but what he stood for, and in this case it's a nation. I really want to capture the living qualities, capture his statesmanship and his strength." The Miami and South Florida Haitian Bicentennial Coordinating Committee commissioned the statue to celebrate Haiti's 200 years of independence. The statue is a tribute to Haitian nationals all over the world while honor the Haitian Revolution leader and connecting the local Haitian-American community to its history.

What an amazing surprise to find this little gem of a park and memorial statue while we just…read morehappened to be driving down Miami Ave.