Queen Isabella, Bronze statue at Pan American Union Building, Washington DC, United States.
Queen Isabella is a 12-foot bronze statue standing at the entrance of the Organization of American States headquarters in Washington. The sculpture portrays her dressed in elaborate royal robes adorned with the heraldic shields of Castile, Aragon, and Leon.
The statue was dedicated in 1966 to mark 475 years since Columbus first spotted the Americas. Spain gifted the work to acknowledge the historical link that Columbus's voyage created between Europe and the New World.
Spain donated this bronze statue to the Organization of American States to represent the historical connection between Europe and the Americas.
The statue stands at the corner of 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, easy to reach from downtown Washington. The public plaza in front of the building provides good viewing angles throughout the day.
The queen holds a pomegranate in both hands with a dove perched upon it, merging Spanish symbols together. This detail is easy to miss, but it combines multiple meaningful elements of Spanish heritage in a single gesture.
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