Monument to Christopher Columbus (Buenos Aires)

Nineteenth-century liberal thinker Juan Bautista Alberdi did not considered southern European Catholics, such as Italians, desirable immigrants.

An inscription on the monument from Seneca's Medea alluded to foreknowledge of the existence of the New World, and the "discovery" by Columbus as the fulfillment of a prophecy.

On another part of the base allegorical figures to Christian faith and justice are meant to convey European civilization's benefits brought to the New World by Columbus.

This resulted in bas reliefs of Columbus, one with his requesting permission from the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Isabel and Ferdinand, to sail West.

The Azurduy statue was moved in 2017 to a less prominent place in the central core of Buenos Aires, in front of the Kirchner Cultural Center.

The controversy over the Columbus and Azurduy statues highlights conflicts in Argentina over historical memory, national identity, and claims to public space.