equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a ...

Juan de Oñate Juan de Oñate y Salazar (; 1550–1626) was a Spanish conquistador, explorer and viceroy of the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México in the viceroyalty of New Spain, in the present-day U.S. state of New Mexico. He led early Spanish expedition ...

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 The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...

. 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

The statue, cast in bronze by Reynaldo Rivera, was erected in 1994.

History

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.Ginger Thompson
"As a Sculpture Takes Shape in Mexico, Opposition Takes Shape in the U.S.,"
''The New York Times'', January 17, 2002. Retrieved 2008-07-15.Douglas Seefeldt, "Oñate's Foot: Histories, Landscapes, and Contested Memories in the Southwest,"
in, 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". In 2017 the statue's left foot was painted red, and the words "Remember 1680" (year of the

Pueblo revolt The Pueblo Revolt of 1680, also known as Popé, Popé's Rebellion or Po'pay's Rebellion, was an uprising of most of the Indigenous Pueblo people against the Spanish Empire, Spanish colonizers in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, larger t ...

) were written with paint on the monument's base. The county of Rio Arriba removed the statue on June 15, 2020. In 2023, The statue was moved to

Española, New Mexico Española is a city primarily in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. A portion of the central and eastern section of the city is in Santa Fe County. Founded as a railroad village some distance from the old Indian town of San Juan de ...

. During a rally on September 28, 2023 celebrating the postponement of the installation, Jacob Johns who was participating in a prayer ceremony was shot. The suspected 23-year-old shooter Ryan Martinez, who had been trying to access the pedestal, fled by car but was taken into custody. Initially charged with attempted

first-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse ...

, aggravated

assault with a deadly weapon In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result i ...

and

reckless driving In United States law, reckless driving is a major moving violation related to aggressive driving that generally consists of driving a vehicle with willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property. It is usually a more serious o ...

with firearm- and hate-crime-related sentencing enhancements, Martinez took a

no contest ''Nolo contendere'' () is a type of legal plea used in some jurisdictions in the United States. It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. It is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an ...

plea deal A plea bargain, also known as a plea agreement or plea deal, is a legal arrangement in criminal law where the defendant agrees to plead guilty or no contest to a charge in exchange for concessions from the prosecutor. These concessions can include ...

that substituted an aggravated battery charge for the attempted murder charge and dropped the hate crime extension, resulting in a sentence of four years

imprisonment Imprisonment or incarceration is the restraint of a person's liberty for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is considered " false imprisonment". Impri ...

in addition to

time served In typical criminal law, time served is an informal term that describes the duration of pretrial detention (remand), the time period between when a defendant is arrested and when they are convicted. Time served does not include time served ...

References

{{monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests 1994 establishments in New Mexico 1994 sculptures 2020 disestablishments in New Mexico Buildings and structures in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico Equestrian statues in the United States Monuments and memorials in New Mexico Monuments and memorials in the United States removed during the George Floyd protests Outdoor sculptures in New Mexico Sculptures of men in the United States Vandalized works of art in New Mexico Statues removed in 2020

Description

History

See also

References