The monument is in honour of General Jose Ballivián and the Heroes of Battle of Ingavi, which was fought on November 18, 1841. The Battle was fought between Peruvian and Bolivian troops and resulted in the end of the short lived Peru-Bolivia Confederation (the Confederation had also been defeated shortly before in another war with Chile and Argentina). The victory preserved Bolivia's independence and Ballivián became a national hero and the country's president (until 1847) as a result.