Monumento a la abolición de la esclavitud
Image of the monument with the statue at its base
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| Coordinates | 18°00′20.6274″N 66°36′45.9354″W / 18.005729833°N 66.612759833°WCoordinates: 18°00′20.6274″N 66°36′45.9354″W / 18.005729833°N 66.612759833°W |
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| Location | Barrio Tercero, Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Designer |
Statue: Victor Colt Obelisk: City of Ponce |
| Type |
Obelisk on Pedestal Statue on Pedestal |
| Material |
Marble (obelisk) Iron (statue) |
| Height | 100 feet |
| Beginning date | 1956 |
| Completion date | 1956 |
| Opening date | 1956 |
| Restored date | 2006 |
| Dedicated to | The Abolition of Slavery in Puerto Rico |
The Monumento a la abolición de la esclavitud (Monument to the abolition of slavery) is a monument at Parque de la Abolición in Barrio Tercero in Ponce, Puerto Rico, dedicated to the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico in 1873. It is the only monument in the Caribbean dedicated as a remembrance to the abolition of slavery. The monument consists of an obelisk and a statue.
The monument is located on Avenida Hostos at the fork of Calle Salud and Calle Marina. It is the centerpiece of Parque de la Abolición and it is located on its grounds, at the park's southernmost tip. The monument consists of two main pieces, an obelisk and a statue. The statue is that of a black male slave with broken chains depicting he is now a free man. It coordinates are 18.00573, -66.61276.
The 100-foot high obelisk raises just behind the black iron sculpture of the freed slave that accentuates and gives instance to the occasion. Immediately north of the obelisk is the outdoors acoustic amphitheater known as La Concha Acústica (English: The Acoustic Shell) which completes the park as a triangular city block. La Concha Acústica is an open-air auditorium oftentimes used as a music venue, including presentations by the Ponce Municipal Band.
Slaves were brought to Puerto Rico from Africa starting in 1513 and through the 18th century to replace the local native "Indian" slaves who had been decimated. The new slaves worked the coffee, sugar cane, and gold mining industries in Puerto Rico. During the 18th century, as gold mining ceased to be one of the major industries in Puerto Rico, slaves worked mostly in coffee plantations and sugar cane fields. By royal proclamation slavery was abolished on 22 March 1873.
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