José María Morelos Monument, Chapultepec

The Monument to José María Morelos on the road up to the Chapultepec Castle is a well-known sculpture. It’s placed on a rather sharp bend in the roadway and faces nearly directly south. It’s just a few meters prior to the entrance to the Museo del Caracol.

The figure was cast in bronze by the artist, Ángel Tarrach in 1969. Tarrach (1898-1979) was a successful artist in Barcelona but went into exile in 1939. His nearly 30 years in Mexico also met with success, and his work is still represented in both Spain and in Mexico. His statue of Abraham Lincoln, cast in 1964, actually stands in Ciudad Juárez in the north of Mexico. Tarrach is often mis-attributed as the creator of the sculpture, Abraham Lincoln, The Man, which was a 1966 gift of the U.S. Government. That statue stands in the Parque Lincoln.

• José María Teclo Morelos Pérez y Pavón (1765–1815) was a Roman Catholic priest. He became a rebel leader during the War of Independence movement. He assumed leadership after the execution of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in 1811. He still gets most of the credit, along with Ignacio López Rayón for organizing the war effort. He was eventually tried by the Spanish Inquisition and executed in 1815. Mexico City boasts numerous monuments, neighborhoods and streets, all named for Morelos.

The bronze statue is just one of multiple places to stop and rest, if you happen to be climbing to the castle on foot. Click here for a more complete guide to the Chapultepec first section.