Who Was Bernardo de Gálvez?

The Spanish general not only helped build the Chapultepec castle, but was rumored to be helping Mexico plan its independence

Across the street from the complex building housing the U.S. Department of State, in downtown Washington, there is a statue that the King of Spain inaugurated more than forty years ago. The effigy represents Bernardo de Galvez, a man that no one has heard of. However, at the head of his Spanish troops —which included a good number of Mexicans— Gálvez was a key figure in achieving the independence of the United States.

Bernardo de Galvez met George Washington and, according to legend, rode alongside him on Evacuation Day, Washington´s grand entry into New York which marked the end of the Revolutionary War.