Bernardo O'Higgins Monument

Equestrian monument to Chile's national hero and first head of state O'Higgins, in Santiago.

Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme is Chile's foremost national hero: born the son of an Irish-descended Spanish colonial governor, he led the independence movement and became Chile's first Director Supremo in 1817 after the liberation from Spanish rule. The monument in Santiago honors his legacy with an imposing equestrian statue, depicting him in the commanding pose of a military leader. It stands as a symbol of Chilean desire for freedom and forms an integral part of the capital's public memory. Until his abdication in 1823, O'Higgins fundamentally shaped the political foundations of the young nation.