A towering bronze figure a winged woman perhaps Victory itself surveys the scene from atop the Monument to the Heroes of Laguna and Dourados. This imposing monument stands proudly in Praça General Tibúrcio on Praia Vermelha. It’s a tribute to bravery and sacrifice.
The Monument to the Heroes of Laguna and Dourados is far more than just a statue. It tells a story a story etched in bronze and granite. The monument commemorates the events of the Retreat of Laguna and the Battle of Dourados during the Paraguayan War.
The idea for the monument first arose in 1920. A competition was held to design it. Artists had 120 days to submit their models. Antonino Pinto de Mattos’s design Veritas et Labor was selected. It was finally inaugurated in 1941 by President Getúlio Vargas himself a grand public ceremony with military parades.
The monument is a masterpiece of scale and detail. It has a circumference of 53 meters its base crafted from white granite. High-relief bronze panels depict key moments from the war. The Retreat of Lieutenant Oliveira Melo. The attack on Fort Coimbra. The Battle of Alegre and the recapture of Corumbá.
Bronze statues stand on the pedestal’s sides life-size representations of the heroes themselves. Colonel Camisão stands in a thoughtful pose. Guia Lopes sits pensively his hand resting on his chin. Lieutenant Antônio João is depicted falling in battle his broken sword lying nearby.
A bronze ring encircles the pedestal scenes of the retreat’s harshest moments. Exhausted soldiers carry cholera victims on stretchers. Weary oxen pull cannons. The commander leads his troops with resolute determination. Allegorical figures Patria Force and History stand nearly two meters high.
Above the granite pedestal a six-meter-tall column rises. At its peak is the bronze winged woman. The entire monument reaches a height of 15 meters. It’s one of the most impressive sculptural ensembles in the city.
Beneath the monument lies a crypt nine steps down. Here rest the ashes of the heroes Colonel Camisão Guia Lopes and Lieutenant Antônio João. Their sacrifice their unwavering courage is forever enshrined in this magnificent testament to their memory the Monument to the Heroes of Laguna and Dourados.