El Cid, the 23-foot tall statue by artist Anna Hyatt Huntington, represents the hero of Spain's war against the Moors, Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar. These woman are cleaning it during the California Pacific International Exposition held May - November 1935 and February - September 1936. It was held in Balboa Park, which had also been the site of the earlier Panama-California Exposition in 1915. The Exposition was held to promote San Diego and had hundreds of exhibits on history, the arts, horticulture, ethnic cultures, science, and industry.