Equestrian statue of Juan de Oñate

Statue owned by Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, U.S.

36°06′21″N 106°01′55″W / 36.10584°N 106.03194°W / 36.10584; -106.03194OwnerCounty of Rio Arriba

An equestrian statue of Juan de Oñate formerly stood in Alcalde, New Mexico, in the United States. Installed as part of a project to honor Hispanic culture, the monument was removed in June 2020 amid the George Floyd protests.^[1] It was situated outside the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Center (until 2017 the Oñate Monument and Visitor Center) in Alcalde, New Mexico from 1994 to 2020.

Description and history

The 12-foot (3.7 m) statue, cast in bronze by Reynaldo Rivera, was erected in 1994.^[2] The right foot of the statue was cut off on December 29, 1997, shortly before commemorations for the 400th anniversary, in 1998, of Oñate's arrival in New Mexico.^[3]^[4] A note was left at the scene that said "Fair is fair." The foot was recast. Some commentators suggested leaving the statue maimed as a symbolic reminder of the foot-amputating Acoma Massacre. A local filmmaker, Chris Eyre, was contacted by one of the two perpetrators, who said, "I'm back on the scene to show people that Oñate and his supporters must be shamed." The sculptor responded that chopping feet "was the nature of discipline of 400 years ago".^[5]

In 2017 the statue's left foot was painted red, and the words "Remember 1680" (year of the Pueblo revolt) were written with paint on the monument's base.^[6]

The county of Rio Arriba removed the statue on June 15, 2020.^[7] In 2023, The statue was moved to Española, New Mexico.^[8] During a rally on September 28, 2023 celebrating the postponement of the installation, Jacob Johns who was participating in a prayer ceremony^[9] was shot.^[10] The suspected 23-year-old shooter Ryan Martinez, who had been trying to access the pedestal, fled by car but was taken into custody.^[11] He is charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and reckless driving^[12] with firearm- and hate-crime-related sentencing enhancements.^[13]

References

^ Romero, Simon (June 15, 2020). "Man Is Shot at Protest Over Statue of New Mexico's Conquistador". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
^ Cher Krause Knight; Harriet F. Senie (June 7, 2016). A Companion to Public Art. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 411–. ISBN 978-1-118-47535-5. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
^ Ginger Thompson. "As a Sculpture Takes Shape in Mexico, Opposition Takes Shape in the U.S.," Archived 2021-09-30 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times, January 17, 2002. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
^ Douglas Seefeldt, "Oñate's Foot: Histories, Landscapes, and Contested Memories in the Southwest," Archived 2020-12-04 at the Wayback Machine in, Douglas Seefeldt; Jeffrey L. Hantman; Peter S. Onuf (2006). Across the Continent: Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and the Making of America. University of Virginia Press. pp. 169–. ISBN 978-0-8139-2595-0. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
^ Plevin, Nancy (January 8, 1998). "Vandals maim bronze sculpture at visitors center near Espanola". Santa Fe New Mexican.
^ Romero, Simon (September 30, 2017). "Statue's Stolen Foot Reflects Divisions Over Symbols of Conquest". New York Times. Archived from the original on October 4, 2017.
^ Montgomery, Molly (June 15, 2020). "County Takes Down Oñate Monument". Rio Grande SUN. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
^ Gilmore, Nicholas (September 20, 2023). "Controversial Oñate statue headed to new home in Española". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
^ "Exclusive: Indigenous Climate Activist Jacob Johns Speaks Out After MAGA Gunman Shoots Him in New Mexico".
^ Candelaria, Esteban (September 28, 2023). "Man shot during Juan de Oñate statue rally in Española". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
^ Lee, Morgan (September 28, 2023). "A man is shot and wounded as tempers flare in New Mexico over the statue of a Spanish conquistador". AP News. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
^ "Shooter in Española statue protest to remain jailed until trial".
^ "Oñate Protest Shooter Appeal Denied".

Monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests

United States

Alabama	Birmingham – Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument; Charles Linn Huntsville – Confederate Soldier Memorial ✻ Mobile – Raphael Semmes
Arkansas	Bentonville – Confederate Monument ✻ Little Rock – Company A, Capitol Guards Pine Bluff – Confederate Monument
California	Carmel-by-the-Sea – Junípero Serra Chula Vista – Christopher Columbus Los Angeles – Junípero Serra Sacramento – Columbus' Last Appeal to Queen Isabella ✻; Junípero Serra; John Sutter San Francisco – Christopher Columbus; Ulysses S. Grant; Francis Scott Key; Junípero Serra Ventura – Junípero Serra ✻
Connecticut	Bridgeport – Christopher Columbus Hartford – Christopher Columbus ✻ Middletown – Christopher Columbus New Haven – Christopher Columbus ✻ New London – Christopher Columbus ✻ Norwalk – Christopher Columbus
Delaware	Dover – Delaware Law Enforcement Memorial Wilmington – Christopher Columbus; Caesar Rodney
District of Columbia	Washington – Albert Pike
Florida	Jacksonville – Confederate Memorial; Florida's Tribute to the Women of the Confederacy ✻ Palatka – Putnam County Confederate Memorial ✻ Quincy – Gadsden Confederate Memorial
Georgia	Athens – Confederate Monument Decatur – DeKalb County Confederate Monument
Indiana	Indianapolis – Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument
Kentucky	Frankfort – Jefferson Davis Louisville – John B. Castleman; Louis XVI
Louisiana	New Orleans – John McDonogh
Massachusetts	Boston – Christopher Columbus; Emancipation Memorial
Michigan	Dearborn – Orville L. Hubbard Detroit – Christopher Columbus
Minnesota	Minneapolis – Calvin Griffith Saint Paul – Christopher Columbus
Missouri	St. Louis – Christopher Columbus
Nevada	Las Vegas – Hey Reb!
New Jersey	Camden – Christopher Columbus Newark – Christopher Columbus West Orange – Christopher Columbus ✻
New Mexico	Albuquerque – Juan de Oñate Alcalde – Juan de Oñate Santa Fe – Diego de Vargas
New York	Albany – Philip Schuyler ✻ Buffalo – Christopher Columbus Hempstead – Thomas Jefferson New York City – Theodore Roosevelt Rochester – Frederick Douglass
North Carolina	Asheville – Vance Monument ✻ Charlotte – Jerry Richardson Raleigh – North Carolina Women of the Confederacy; Josephus Daniels; Henry Lawson Wyatt Rocky Mount – Nash County Confederate Monument ✻ Salisbury – Gloria Victis ✻ Wilmington – Confederate Memorial; George Davis
Ohio	Columbus – Christopher Columbus (City Hall); Christopher Columbus (Columbus State Community College)
Oregon	Eugene – The Pioneer; The Pioneer Mother Portland – Captain William Clark Monument; Thompson Elk Fountain; Thomas Jefferson; Abraham Lincoln; Theodore Roosevelt; Harvey W. Scott; George Washington
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia – Christopher Columbus ✻; Frank Rizzo; George Whitefield
Rhode Island	Providence – Christopher Columbus
South Carolina	Columbia – Christopher Columbus Charleston – John C. Calhoun
Tennessee	Nashville – Edward W. Carmack; Sam Davis ✻
Texas	Beaumont – Our Confederate Soldiers Dallas – Confederate War Memorial; One Riot, One Ranger Denton – Confederate Soldier Monument ✻ Fort Worth – Confederate Monument Houston – Christopher Columbus; Richard W. Dowling ✻; Spirit of the Confederacy
Virginia	Alexandria – Appomattox Fredericksburg – Slave Auction Block Norfolk – Confederate Monument Portsmouth – Confederate Monument Roanoke – Robert E. Lee Richmond – Christopher Columbus; Jefferson Davis; Howitzer Monument ✻; Stonewall Jackson; Robert E. Lee; Matthew Fontaine Maury; Richmond Police Memorial; J. E. B. Stuart; Williams Carter Wickham
Wisconsin	Madison – Forward; Hans Christian Heg

Other countries

Belgium	Antwerp – Leopold II Ghent – Leopold II
New Zealand	Hamilton – John Fane Charles Hamilton
United Kingdom	Bristol – Edward Colston Cambridge – Sir Ronald Fisher window Greater Manchester – Dunham Massey Hall sundial London – John Cass; Robert Clayton ✻; Thomas Guy ✻; Robert Milligan