Battle of Backbone Mountain

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La Jornada is a statue by Reynaldo "Sonny" Rivera and Betty Sabo which depicts Juan de Oñate leading an expedition of Spanish settlers.

History

The statue was commissioned in the late 1990s, and installed on the grounds of the Albuquerque Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2004.[1][2] It was removed by the city in June 2020, following an attempt by protesters to topple it as part of the George Floyd protests which led to one protester being shot by a counter-protester.[3][4]

Native activists have long opposed monuments to conquistadors, and Oñate is specifically controversial due to having ordered the murder and mutilation of hundreds of people during the Acoma Massacre of 1599.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ Dafoe, Taylor (16 June 2020). "A Conquistador Monument Has Been Removed in Albuquerque After an Attempt to Topple It Was Met With Violence". Artnet News. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  2. ^ Dyer, Jessica; Nathanson, Rick (13 June 2020). "City faces new calls to remove Oñate sculpture". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  3. ^ KRQE Staff; Seymore, Jami (16 June 2020). "City of Albuquerque removes statue of Juan de Oñate in Old Town". KRQE News 13 Albuquerque – Santa Fe. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  4. ^ a b Romero, Simon (15 June 2020). "Man Is Shot at Protest Over Statue of New Mexico's Conquistador". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 July 2020.