A statue of a young indigenous woman will be erected on the site in downtown Mexico, where the monument to Christopher Columbus was erected, DPA reported.
The figure, about 6 meters high, is a copy of a recently discovered sculpture from the time around Columbus’ arrival in what was then called the “New World”, said the mayor of the Mexican capital, Claudia Scheinbaum. She noted that in this way, indigenous women who have been systematically victims of racism and discrimination are honored.
A few weeks ago, Scheinbaum presented another “replacement” for the statue of Columbus. However, the chosen sculpture, representing a head, the work of a contemporary artist, which should also not represent indigenous women, provoked ridicule.
The new choice is a replica of the 2-meter stone sculpture “Young Woman of Amahak”, which is believed to have been created between 1450 and 1521. It was discovered by chance by farmers in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz in January. According to archaeologists, the figure probably represents a female ruler.
The statue of Columbus has risen on a central boulevard in the Mexican capital since 1877. It was demolished last October, when authorities said it was done for restoration. Earlier, left-wing radicals threatened to push the statue from its pedestal on October 12, the date on which the arrival of the sailor in the New World in 1492 was celebrated in many Latin American countries. The monument to Columbus will be placed again, but in a less noticeable place – in a small park.
The Genoese is often called the “discoverer of America.” However, he has also been widely criticized for the violence against indigenous peoples and his significant contribution to the transatlantic slave trade, the DPA said.
Meanwhile, in neighboring Guatemala, protesters tried to tear down a statue of Columbus yesterday during a protest against the attitude of European invaders towards the indigenous population, Reuters reported.
The agency defines this as another episode of the global movement to reassess the colonial era.
The demonstrations coincided with Spanish Heritage Day, when Columbus arrived in America.
In the Guatemalan capital, a group of people tried to remove the statue by pulling it with a long rope, but in the end they failed, it is clear from footage posted on social networks.
The nine-meter monument weighs 10 tons. He was brought to Guatemala from Spain in 1896. Another group of protesters managed to break off the head of a statue of former President Jose Maria Reina Barrios (ruled from 1892 to 1898), which had previously been flooded with red paint.
Local authorities in a statement condemned the “acts of vandalism” against monuments that are part of the historical heritage.
Numerous statues of Columbus have been removed in the United States and other countries since the protests of the “Black Life Matters” movement began.
Photo © Associated Press
