“What happened to the statue?” I hear you ask. The Monumento a Colón is no longer here. Today we’re talking about a monument that stood for over a century. It sparked debate and change.
The Monumento a Colón was a statue of Christopher Columbus. French sculptor Charles Cordier created it. It was first dedicated in 1877. The monument was located on Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City.
The statue became part of a plan. The plan was to embellish the thoroughfare. Statues of people significant to Mexico would line the street. Antonio Escandón gifted the statue to the city. He was an entrepreneur. He had supported Emperor Maximilian. Escandón built the Mexico City-Veracruz railway. He wanted to commemorate the railroad era with the Columbus monument.
Cordier designed the statue in 1873. It was shipped to Mexico for installation. The monument was inaugurated in 1877. This happened after General Porfirio Díaz seized the presidency. The Cordier sculpture symbolized economic ties with foreign investors. The Monumento a Colón was initially planned for the Buenavista train station.
The pedestal featured bas-reliefs. One showed Columbus’s arrival in the New World. The other showed the construction of a church. Statues of friars stood at the corners. These friars were important to Mexico’s early history. They included Pedro de Gante and Bartolomé de las Casas. Antonio de Marchena and Diego de Deza were also depicted. They aided Columbus in Spain.
The statue became a target for protesters. It combined religious iconography with European conquest. Columbus was portrayed as a conqueror. He appeared to pluck a veil from the globe he held.
On October 12 1992 protests marked the 500th anniversary. This was of Columbus’s voyage. The monument was defaced. Indigenous groups and unions led the protest. They tried to topple the sculpture. They used ropes and a public transport bus. But the Mexico City Police Grenadier Corps stopped them.
In 2020, anti-racist protests targeted statues linked to colonialism. Statues of Columbus were toppled throughout the Americas. A demonstration was called in Mexico City for October 12 2020. The government removed the Reforma sculpture before the protest. They cited a scheduled restoration.
The city government debated the monument’s future. They announced it would not return to Reforma Avenue. It was to be relocated to Parque América. A statue of an Olmec woman, Tlalli, was planned for the site.
Feminist collectives installed an antimonumenta on September 25 2021. They renamed it Glorieta de las mujeres que luchan. In 2023, the city announced a new plan. The Monumento a Colón would move to the National Museum of the Viceroyalty. The Antimonumenta Vivas Nos Queremos would coexist with The Young Woman of Amajac sculptures. As of October 2024, the sculpture remains in storage.
The Monumento a Colón sparked heated debate. It became a symbol of clashing views. It is a reminder of Mexico’s complex history. It is a history marked by conquest. It is a history of cultural change. The monument’s story continues to evolve. It is now awaiting its final relocation.