John the Baptist Monument, Religious monument in Trujillo, Venezuela

The John the Baptist Monument is a concrete statue located in downtown Trujillo that stands prominently in the urban landscape. The structure is visible from numerous vantage points throughout the city and serves as a visual landmark in the area.

The monument was built in 1933 during the rule of Juan Vicente Gómez, a transformative period in Venezuelan history. Its construction reflects the architectural changes happening in the nation's public spaces at that time.

John the Baptist is the patron saint of San Juan de los Morros, and the statue is nicknamed Sanjuanote, a name also borne by a neighbourhood of the nearby Valle de la Pascua district. The base plaza displays reliefs of the saint's life: John in the desert, the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, and Salome, niece of King Herod, holding his head. The figure's lowered hand holds a piece of bread at his side.

The statue stands on El Calvario hill in central San Juan de los Morros, reached on foot from the Bolívar square below. The base is a small esplanade with the reliefs of John the Baptist's life, the concrete lions and the old cannons; the figure rises from a 2-metre pedestal above 3 metres of steps and railings.

The raised right arm of the original design was lowered on the orders of Juan Vicente Gómez, who wanted a piece of bread placed in the palm instead. The sculptor Alejandro Colina refused and was dismissed from the work; another sculptor carried out the change. Colina, also author of the María Lionza statue, was accused of communism shortly before the inauguration and jailed in Puerto Cabello until Gómez died in 1935.