Bronze equestrian statue of El Cid in the center of Burgos

The Monumento al Cid Campeador is a bronze equestrian statue located in the city of Burgos, Spain. It represents Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, a 11th-century Castilian military leader who dominated the Levant of the Iberian Peninsula. Created by sculptor Juan Cristóbal González Quesada and architect Fernando Chueca Goitia, the work was inaugurated by General Francisco Franco on July 23, 1955. The ceremony was accompanied by military parades and was featured as the first piece of the NO-DO news on August 1, 1955.

The statue depicts El Cid crossing the Arlanzón river to abandon Burgos for exile, mounted on his horse Babieca and brandishing his sword Tizona. He points toward Valencia, his place of exile. The monument stands 4 meters tall on a granite and limestone pedestal that is 5 meters high. The pedestal features two texts regarding the life and death of the Cid, alongside the shields of Burgos and Castilla. It is situated in the Plaza de Mio Cid, next to the San Pablo bridge.

This monument is one of seven equestrian statues dedicated to El Cid in the world, joining similar monuments in New York, San Francisco, San Diego, Buenos Aires, Valencia, and Sevilla. It is complemented by the Ciclo cidiano, a group of eight sculptures by Joaquín Lucarini placed on the San Pablo bridge. These represent the Cid's closest circle, including Doña Jimena, Diego Rodríguez, San Sisebuto, Jerónimo de Perigord, Martín Antolínez, Álvar Fáñez, Martín Muñoz, and Ben Galbón.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons