This bust of Francisco de Paula Santander is located at the Plaza Italia traffic circle. It is placed on a marble plinth about 8 feet high that tapers up to the bust. The lifesized (or slightly larger) piece would appear to be made from cement dyed brown. It depicts Santander as a young man in military uniform. The artist is Alejandro Hernandez Pinto.
The accompanying plaque reads:
"GENERAL
FRANCISCO DE PAULA
SANTANDER
EL HOMBRE DE LAS LEYES
FUNDADOR DEL ESTADO
COLUMBIANO
EN OCASION DEL
204 ANNIVERSARIO DE SU
NATALICIO
EL GOBIERNO DE
LA REPUBLICA DE COLUMBIA
Y LA SOCIEDAD SANTANDERISTA
AL MUNICIPIO DE SAN SALVADOR.
EN GESTO DE FRATERNA AMISTAD.
LIC. MARIO VALIENTE ORTIZ
ALCALDE MUNICIPAL
DR. TITO MOSQUERA IRURITA
EMBAJADOR DE COLUMBIA
SAN SALVADOR, 12 DE ABRIL DE 1996"
which translates as
"GENERAL
FRANCISCO DE PAULA
SANTANDER
The Man of the Laws
Founder of the State of Columbia
on the ocassion of the
204th anniversary of his birth.
The Government of the Republic of Columbia
and the Santanderista Society of
San Salvador.
In a Gesture of fraternal friendship.
LIC. MARIO VALIENTE ORTIZ
Mayor
DR. TITO MOSQUERA IRURITA
AMBASSADOR of COLUMBIA
SAN SALVADOR, APRIL 12, 1996"
Wikipedia (
visit link) adds:
"Francisco José de Paula Santander y Omaña (Villa del Rosario de Cúcuta, Colombia, April 2, 1792 – Santafé de Bogotá, Colombia, May 6, 1840), was a Colombian military and political leader during the 1810–1819 independence war of the United Provinces of New Granada (present-day Colombia). He was the acting President of Gran Colombia between 1819 and 1826, and later elected by Congress as the President of the Republic of New Granada between 1832 and 1837. Santander came to be known as "The Man of the Laws" ("El Hombre de las Leyes")"