This monument is located at the entrance of Torres Park. Both are a tribute to Alfonso Torres. While the major of the city from 1923 to 1930, he spearheaded numerous public works projects including creating parks, improving sanitation and building a system to supply fresh water. He was so popular that residents voted him as Cartagena’s favorite son. After the fall of Spain’s dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera in 1930, Torres became a leading member of the Spanish Renovation party in defense of monarch Alfonso XIII. In 1936, Torres and others planned a coup d’état against the Second Spanish Republic government. After the insurrection failed, he was arrested and executed. These events coincided with the start of the Spanish Civil War. The battles between the Republicans and Nationalists lasted until 1939.
