Monument to the Unknown Soldier, Lima, War memorial obelisk at Morro Solar in Chorrillos, Peru.
The Monument to the Unknown Soldier is an obelisk on the northern slope of Morro Solar, in the Chorrillos district of Lima, Peru, carrying three bronze relief plaques that depict combat scenes from the War of the Pacific. The structure rises on elevated ground and can be seen from several points in the surrounding city below.
The monument was built during the Oncenio of President Augusto Leguía as part of an urban modernization program, and Leguía attended its inauguration on 27 July 1922. It commemorates those who died on 13 January 1881 at the Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos, fought between the armies of Chile and Peru during the War of the Pacific. The site lies on a plain on the northern flank of Morro Solar, where the fighting also reached.
The bronze reliefs show battle scenes that took place on the very hill where the monument now stands, giving visitors a direct connection to the ground beneath their feet. Peruvian school groups and veterans' associations visit regularly, especially around national remembrance days.
The Morro Solar can be reached on foot via paths from the Chorrillos neighborhoods below, though the climb is steep in places and sturdy footwear is recommended. Visiting on a clear day is worthwhile, as the surrounding landscape opens up considerably from the top.
The three bronze reliefs by Luis Felipe Agurto were stolen or destroyed by vandalism in 2007 and replaced in 2018 with copies funded by the Peruvian Astronomy Association, whose Morro Solar Planetarium stands a few metres away. The current plaques are therefore modern reproductions, not the originals inaugurated in 1922.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,632 contributors worldwide.