Monument to Miguel de Cervantes

In anticipation of the 300th anniversary of the writer's death in 1916, a public contest was announced to select a project that would be awarded for its commemoration. However, this announcement was met with concern and criticism from certain reviewers. Despite the initial skepticism, the winning project was ultimately awarded to a proposal by Rafael Martínez Zapatero and Lorenzo Coullaut Valera, which had been dismissed by some as overly literary, focused on intricate details, and anecdotal in nature. The jury's decision faced backlash, as evidenced by an open letter signed by at least 109 public figures, including notable individuals such as Ramón del Valle Inclán, Alejandro Ferrant, Emilio Carrere, Daniel Zuloaga, Tomás Borrás, and Ramón Gómez de la Serna.

To fund the project, a popular subscription was launched across all Spanish-speaking nations. However, the construction process faced delays, and significant changes were made to the original design. Pedro Muguruza joined as an architect assistant before the works commenced. The central stone monolith, standing at a height of 34 meters, was completed in 1929, but several sculptural elements were still missing at that time. The monument only featured sculptures representing Cervantes, along with allegorical depictions of Literature, Military Value, and Mysticism. Additionally, there was a sculptural group consisting of the Earth Globe surrounded by five women symbolizing the five continents atop the monument. There were also detached bronze statues of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Despite its incomplete state, the monument was inaugurated on October 13, 1929.

Subsequently, additional statues representing characters from Cervantes' works were added to the ensemble. These statues were sculpted by Federico Coullaut-Valera Mendigutia, the son of Lorenzo Coullaut. They included depictions of Dulcinea del Toboso and Aldonza Lorenzo (added in 1957), as well as Rinconete y Cortadillo and La gitanilla (added in 1960).

In 2018, the monument was officially declared a Bien de Interés Patrimonial ("Good of Patrimonial Interest") by the Community of Madrid, recognizing its significance as a heritage site.