A work depicting a young indigenous woman will be replaced by a removed statue of Christopher Columbus in downtown Mexico City, the city’s mayor announced.
Claudia Scheinbaum said a 6-meter-high replica of the recently found statue would be erected in place of the statue of Columbus, and the monument would pay tribute to the city’s indigenous women, who have been a regular victim of racism and discrimination ever since.
Named after the young woman from Amajac, the two-meter statue was found in January by farmers in the state of Varecruz. Archaeologists say Columbus may have been made at the time of his arrival in America, sometime between 1450 and 1521. The work presumably depicts a female ruler.
The statue of Columbus has stood on Paseo de la Reforma since 1877. It was removed last October, then still citing restoration. However, left-wing groups had previously threatened to overthrow Columbus on October 12, the anniversary of Columbus’ arrival in America in 1492. The statue of Columbus is placed in a less frequently visited place, a park.
Christopher Columbus, referred to as the explorer of America, is criticized for his violence against the natives and for his involvement in the slave trade across the Atlantic.