In July of 1936, during the initial days of the Spanish Civil War, a Republican force of 8,000 men began attacking the 1,000, ill-equipped Nationalists inside of Toledo’s Alcázar. The brutal Siege of Alcázar lasted 70 days, leaving most of the fortress destroyed. Yet Colonel José Moscardó Ituarte refused to surrender even when his 16 year old son was about to be executed. The Nationalists eventually won when General Franco’s reinforcements arrived. A tribute to this heroic event was erected next to the Alcázar in 1961. The sculptor was Juan de Avalos.
