Plaza San Martin is named after General Jose Francisco de San Martin (1798-1850), who had a big hand in the independence of Argentina, Chile and Peru. Along with Simon Bolivar (1783-1830), San Martin is regarded to be one of the greatest liberators of South America, and as a result has been given the title of Padre de la Patria.
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rnIronically, however, San Martin was exiled, and despite trying to return and fight for Argentina against Brazil, he died in France in 1850. The Plaza San Martin is perhaps the most attractive of all the plazas in the city, and its bronze monument is one of the largest in the city.