describe the replacement sculpture as a "grotesque puppet." Inauguration The first stone of the plaza was laid on July 29, 1902. But the monument, the work of the Spanish artist Agustín Querol, took two years to complete and only in early 1905 did it arrive by ship, in blocks that were assembled under the direction of the worker Enrique Días. By then, President José Pardo y Barreda governed in his first government. The inauguration, initially scheduled for November 4 (the birthday of Bolognesi), was postponed to November 6, amid the protests of the citizens who had gathered in the avenues leading to the square. The ceremony was attended by one of the survivors of the defense of Arica, the Argentinian Roque Sáenz Peña, General of the Peruvian army who, for the military parade, received the command of the line. President José Pardo presided over the ceremony, which unveiled the statue of Bolognesi, amid the cheers of those present. Then he delivered the following remarks: It was then the turn of Sáenz Peña, who, in front of the statue of his former boss, was seized with emotion and only said: "Present, my colonel!". His speech contained this paragraph: That same day the first oath of allegiance to the flag was carried out on behalf of the conscripts, a ceremony that has been held since then every year on June 7, the anniversary of the Battle of Arica. As a culminating act of the ceremony, President Pardo awarded the survivors of the Battle of Arica with the medals granted by the Congress of the Republic, as symbols of recognition and gratitude of the nation. See also Plaza San Martín References External links Squares in Lima 1905 establishments in Peru