What the river took: archeology of the first monument memorial to the flag (Rosario, Argentina. 1872-1876)

arqueología del primer monumento conmemorativo a la bandera (Rosario, Argentina. 1872-1876)

Abstract

In August of the year 1872, the municipal engineer Nicolás Grondona presented a brochure with the first project of the Commemorative Monument to the Argentine National Flag. Its objective was to commemorate the 60 years that have passed since 1812, when Manuel Belgrano raised the Argentine flag for the first time in Rosario. The project consisted of two obelisks (“pyramids”), one in the ravines of Rosario, where the Libertad Battery was located, and the other obelisk on the island, where the Independencia Battery would have functioned. The monument in the ravine did not pass the design stage, despite the steps taken at the national and provincial levels. On the contrary, the monument erected on Espinillo Island was completed at the beginning of 1873 with construction materials of the time: bricks, tiles and cobblestones, obtained by public subscription and donations. In 1878, a flood demolished the island's memorial pyramid, leaving no visible traces. The objective of this work is, historicalizing the materiality of the first monument to the flag, to expose the difficulties of this location task and the methods used in the current survey.