- Address: Montevideo, San Jose de Mayo
- Idea and sculptor: Gonzalo Mesa
- Opening: 2008
We have long been accustomed to putting monuments to heroes-soldiers, writers, famous personalities and politicians. But in the twenty-first century, sculptors increasingly desire to immortalize in stone and metal animals, different symbols, currency, food, etc. So in Uruguay a monument to mate arose.
More about the monument of mate
To begin with, mate is a very popular drink. But most of all in the world daily use this tea is the inhabitants of the state of Uruguay. According to unofficial statistics, its amateurs are about 85% of the total population of the country. Mate tea is considered one of the best non-alcoholic beverages in the world, undeniably useful and curative.
The monument is executed in the form of a huge palm that holds a pumpkin vessel for brewing mate (it is called kalabas) with a special tube for drinking this tea - a bomb. Around the monument grow neatly manicured beautiful mate - hierba mate, and on the sidewalk there are images of all the attributes of the preparation of the drink: special thermos and kettles for drinking it in various conditions outside the house. Uruguayans drink mate mostly on the road.
The monument is made of metal and has a height of 4.7 m and a width of 2.5 m. The idea and work belongs to the local sculptor and artist Gonzalo Mes. The monument was opened in 2008 in the middle of the National Mate Festival , which has been held annually in Uruguay since 2003. This sculpture causes interest in a considerable number of tourists.
How to get to the monument?
The mote monument is located in the city of San Jose , which is located in the north-west direction near the capital of Uruguay - Montevideo . Between cities the distance is small: only 90 km, which can easily be overcome either by bus, or by car or taxi.
If you walk around the city on foot, then any resident will be happy to tell you where exactly the monument is located.