Posted: 09/06/2021 / 11:48 AM CDT
Updated: 09/06/2021 / 1:31 p.m. CDT
FILE – In this October 12, 2020 file photo, a pedestrian takes a photo of graffiti on a temporary metal barrier erected to protect the perimeter of the Christopher Columbus statue removed by authorities on Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico’s Cito . Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Sunday, September 5, 2021 that the statue would be replaced with a statue honoring indigenous women. (AP Photo / Fernando Llano, file)
MEXICO CITY (AP) – Christopher Columbus is thrown from Mexico City’s most famous boulevard.
Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced that the Columbus statue on Paseo de la Reforma, which is often a focal point for indigenous rights protests, will be replaced by a statue in honor of indigenous women.
“We owe you … the history of our country, our fatherland,” she said.
She announced this on Sunday, International Day of Indigenous Women.
The statue of Columbus, donated to the city many years ago, was an important reference point on the 10-lane boulevard, and the surrounding roundabout is – until now – named after him.
That made it a preferred target for spray paint-wielding protesters denouncing European oppression of Mexico’s indigenous civilizations.
It was reportedly removed for restoration last year, just before October 12, which Americans know as Columbus Day but Mexicans call it “Dia de la Raza” or “Race Day” – the anniversary of Columbus’ arrival in America in 1492.
When the statue was removed last year, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador stated that “this is a date that is very controversial and lends itself to conflicting ideas and political conflict”.
This year marks the 700th anniversary of the founding of Tenochtitlan – now Mexico City – as well as the 500th anniversary of its overthrow to the Spanish conquistadors and the 200th anniversary of Mexico’s final independence from Spain.
Most Mexicans have some indigenous ancestry and are well aware that millions of indigenous peoples died of violence and disease during and after the conquest.
SheInbaum said the new statue “Tlali” could be ready this year just before the date of the Dia de la Raza.
The Columbus statue is not thrown away, but moved to a less prominent location in a small park in the Polanco district. Sheinbaum described Columbus as “a great international personality”.
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