Vargas Swamp Lancers, Bronze sculpture at Vargas Swamp, Paipa, Colombia.
The Vargas Swamp Lancers is a bronze sculpture in Paipa depicting 14 mounted horsemen. This monument rises 33 meters high and extends 100 meters in length across the former battlefield site.
This monument commemorates the Battle of Vargas Swamp in July 1819, when Colonel Juan José Rondón led just 14 lancers against Spanish forces. This charge is considered a turning point in the Colombian independence movement.
Sculptor Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt completed this work in 1970 as Colombia's largest bronze creation honoring independence fighters. The riders and their horses appear in full motion, as if continuing the charge from the 1819 battle.
Visitors can climb the 36 steps encircling the monument, which symbolize Simón Bolívar's age during the battle. Walking around the sculpture offers changing perspectives on the galloping formation.
The monument's figure appeared on the reverse of the 1,000-peso banknote series released in 1987. It was declared a National Monument by decree 1744 of 1 September 1975. The concrete section has 36 steps, recalling Bolívar's age at the battle: he turned 36 the day before, on 24 July 1819.
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