Sun Dial of Monte Caseros

Sun Clock

This artwork was created by Hugo Quiroz. It’s a group of sculptures that brings together ideas and symbols from many world cultures. It is located at the Pope’s Square, near the river, between Eva Duarte de Perón Street and Alte. Brown Coastal Avenue.

The piece was part of a project by the local Department of Culture to welcome the new millennium. The artist left a personal message in it, as a symbolic gift for the future. It was made with the help of technical drawing students from Bella Unión and city workers.

The design uses special shapes and proportions and follows a spiral that represents human growth. Along the path, there are seven large stones (monoliths), one for each part of the human being according to ancient beliefs. The journey starts near the Uruguay River.

First monolith: Earth

Represents the material world, what we can touch. It’s the physical part of life, like rocks and minerals.

Second monolith: Water

Represents life. It relates to plants, which need water to grow. It shows water waves.

Third monolith: Air

Represents emotions and the human inner world. It has spiral designs to show movement and feeling.

Fourth monolith: Fire

Represents the human mind and reason. It’s the part that allows us to think. It shows flames.

Fifth monolith: Higher mind

Represents creativity and imagination. It includes the “all-seeing eye,” a symbol from ancient Egypt.

Sixth monolith: Intuition

It’s the ability to understand without thinking too much. It is represented by the figure of Buddha, symbol of wisdom.

Seventh monolith: Will

Represents the decision to live in harmony with the world. It uses the Sun as a symbol, called “Inti” by the Incas, who saw it as a giver of life.

After the monoliths, there’s a stone area with a drawing of a condor’s footprint, a bird from South America that represents freedom and the Sun. This symbol comes from the ancient Nazca culture of Peru.

At the end of the path, there is a curved stone bench to sit and observe the entire work. At the center is the Sun Clock, placed inside a stone triangle.

This sculpture group honors many world cultures and is closely connected to the Sun, like the old stone sites in Europe. It is a gift from the Uruguayan people to their Argentine brothers and sisters.

On one of the stones, there is a message: “For a Beautiful Union of Art Without Borders.”