The Foundation approved the project for the erection of a monument dedicated to the former Viceroy of the Río de la Plata, Joaquín del Pino. The monument is located in the centre of the town of Baena and was inaugurated on 11 April 2003. The design of the monument was decided by the Foundation and carried out by the sculptor Santiago de Santiago. The document distributed to the people of Baena reads as follows: "Today Baena has every reason to be justifiably proud of having been the birthplace of this distinguished personage.
Joaquín del Pino was always honoured to have been born in Baena, never hiding it, although for professional reasons he never had the opportunity to return to his homeland. Joaquín was a universal Baenense, in the broadest sense of the word, who never felt particularly tied to a particular place, neither to Baena where he was born, nor to San Sebastián where he married, where his first children were born and where he had some possessions, nor to any of the places that were subsequently his official residences. His life is a continuous pilgrimage, always ascending, both in his military and political career.
He always showed that for a military man his post was wherever his services were required, and for this reason he felt above all Spanish, perfectly adapted to any place in his homeland, whether on the peninsula or in America. These ties that bind him to the lands of the new continent become even stronger after his second marriage, without him ever renouncing his status as a Spaniard, precisely at a time when the first stirrings of independence were beginning to sweep through Spanish America.
He was, and still is after two centuries, a bridge between the two sides of the Atlantic. In his time, as a representative of the Spanish administration in the various government posts he was forced to serve, which were not always smooth sailing for him.
Only fidelity to his king and his homeland and a loyalty that was foolproof justify his endurance and courage in overcoming some of the great difficulties he had to face. And today, having been the link that has united two cities linked to his life: Baena, where he was born, and San Carlos de Chile, one of the several towns that owe their existence to him.
Baena, Oran, Barcelona, San Sebastian, Santander, Montevideo, La Plata, Santiago, Buenos Aires. Names that mark an itinerary dedicated entirely to the service of the Fatherland".
