In Monument to Christopher Columbus (Paseo de la Reforma), how is the Removal and relocation of the History elucidated?
Before and during the George Floyd protests, anti-racist protestors began to target and remove statues of figures linked to colonialism and slavery. Christopher Columbus' controversial historical reputation led to protestors to topple numerous statues of him installed throughout the Americas. In Mexico City, a demonstration was called on October 12, 2020, to topple the Columbus sculpture. On October 10, 2020, Government of Mexico City removed the Reforma sculpture from the monument due to a previously scheduled restoration by the National Institute of Anthropology and History. The demonstration moved instead to the monument located in Buenavista.The government of Mexico City announced that the repositioning or the removal of the sculptures of the monument would be defined after a round of debates that were expected to be held in 2021, in the context of the commemorations of the 500th anniversary of the Fall of Tenochtitlan. On September 5, 2021, the city announced that the monument would not be returned to Reforma Avenue and it would be relocated to Parque América, in Polanco. Instead, Tlalli, a statue of a woman from the Olmec civilization by sculptor Pedro Reyes, was announced to be set at the site. By September 14, after a petition signed by "more than 350 people from the world of culture... was sent to the mayor, against Reyes' participation in the project", Reyes was deemed "inadmissible" as the artist. Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced that a committee would decide on a replacement artist.On September 25, 2021, different feminist collectives and families of victims installed an antimonumenta, and symbolically renamed it as the Glorieta de las mujeres que luchan, mainly decorated by the Antimonumenta Vivas Nos Queremos sculpture. On 12 October, Sheinbaum proposed an enlarged copy of The Young Woman of Amajac to replace the statue of Columbus. The statue of Columbus was expected to be relocated during the second half of 2022.Due to the lack of agreement as to which sculpture would replace Columbus, discussions were held during 2022. By 2023, the city government announced that the statue of Columbus would be relocated to the National Museum of the Viceroyalty, in Tepotzotlán, State of Mexico, while the Antimonumenta Vivas Nos Queremos and The Young Woman of Amajac sculptures would coexist on the roundabout.
Tlalli antimonumenta Parque América The Young Woman of Amajac Tepotzotlán target and remove statues Claudia Sheinbaum Pedro Reyes Glorieta de las mujeres que luchan Olmec civilization Polanco the monument located in Buenavista National Institute of Anthropology and History slavery colonialism es Fall of Tenochtitlan National Museum of the Viceroyalty anti-racist Reforma George Floyd protests controversial historical reputation Christopher Columbus Mexico City