Faro a Colón

The Faro a Colón (Columbus Lighthouse) is a massive cross-shaped monument and museum on the eastern bank of the Ozama River, built to mark the 500th anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the Americas. Inside the monument are chapels representing countries of the Americas, and a mausoleum that allegedly contains Columbus's remains — though this is disputed with the cathedral in Seville, where DNA evidence suggests the genuine remains may be kept.

The monument is controversial for multiple reasons beyond the remains question — it displaced a slum neighbourhood, it consumes enough electricity to cause city-wide power cuts when lit, and its sheer scale seems designed to celebrate the conqueror rather than the conquered. But as architecture it is undeniably dramatic, and the surrounding gardens offer good views over the city.

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The Faro a Colón took 50 years to build — the project was planned in the 1920s but not completed until 1992, for the 500th anniversary of Columbus's arrival. The construction displaced an entire neighbourhood of the poor. When lit, the lighthouse projects a cross of light into the sky that is visible for miles — but the electricity it consumes is so enormous that the city experiences rolling blackouts whenever it is turned on.

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