Phot-o' the Day: Jose Artigas, on Horseback, Views the Palacio Salvo; Montevideo, Uruguay

So much Uruguay packed into this single photo.

The man on the horse is José Gervasio Artigas, who fought for the independence of Uruguay in the early 19th Century. He's the Simon Bolivar, or the George Washington, of his country, to analogize. (And, befitting the George Washington parallel, there is a statue of Artigas in Washington, D.C., at Constitution Avenue, 18th Street and Virginia Avenue, across from the OAS building.) The statue is in Plaza Independencia, in the center of Montevideo, separating the old city from the modern metropolis. He is pointed towards Palacio Salvo, the signature building of the Montevideo skyline, with its art deco "rocket ship" decorations flanking the main tower.

Visited November 2013.