A statue of

Minerva Minerva (; ; ) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She is also a goddess of warfare, though with a focus on strategic warfare, rather than the violence of gods such as Mars. Be ...

, the Roman goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare (colloquially known as ), is installed in a roundabout fountain in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

, in the Mexican state of

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

. It is a

bronze sculpture Bronze is the most popular metal for Casting (metalworking), cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as w ...

supported by a large pedestal that names 18 notable citizens of the city. The statue has

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

facial features and holds a spear and a shield. The phrase "May justice, wisdom and strength, guard this loyal city" is engraved as well. Initially, the statue was criticized by the citizens, but since then it has become a symbol of the city.

Description and history

A landmark of the city, the statue was built between 1956 and 1957, requested by the governor of the state,

Agustín Yáñez Agustín Yáñez Delgadillo (May 4, 1904 in Guadalajara, Jalisco – January 17, 1980 in Mexico City) was a Mexican writer and politician who served as Governor of Jalisco and Secretary of Public Education during Gustavo Díaz Ordaz's presidency ...

. The statue represents the Roman goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare,

. Yáñez wanted Guadalajara to be recognized as the "

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

of Mexico". It was unveiled on 15 September 1957. It is a

created by Joaquín Arias and Pedro Medina Guzmán, who cast it in

Aguascalientes Aguascalientes, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes, is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and with an average altitude of above sea level it is pre ...

, and the architect was Julio de la Peña. Minerva features a

Late Roman ridge helmet The Late Roman ridge helmet was a type of combat helmet of Late Antiquity used by soldiers of the Late Roman army. It was characterized by the possession of a bowl made up of two or four parts, united by a longitudinal ridge. Origins In the late ...

and a goatskin

aegis The aegis ( ; ''aigís''), as stated in the ''Iliad'', is a device carried by Athena and Zeus, variously interpreted as an animal skin or a shield and sometimes featuring the head of a Gorgon. There may be a connection with a deity named Aex, a ...

covers her breast. She holds a spear with her right hand and a shield with the left one. Her face has

facial features as Arias modified the project, which originally requested a Greek figure. Arias modelled the statue on notable women of Jalisco that he had photographed. There is a rumor that says that Arias based on the face of Yáñez's wife. The project cost Mex$1,250,000 of which $75,000 went to Arias. The statue is tall and weights . At her feet, the following slogan is written: "" (). The pedestal is long and high is inscribed with the names of 18 notable citizens. Symbolically, the statue guards the city. The following 18 names are inscribed: * *

Valentín Gómez Farías Valentín Gómez Farías (; 14 February 1781 – 5 July 1858) was a Mexican physician and liberal politician who became president of Mexico twice, first from 1833 to 1834, during the period of the First Mexican Republic, and again from 1846 ...

José Justo Corro José Justo Corro y Silva (c. 19 July 1794 – c. 18 December 1864) was a Mexican lawyer and statesman who was made president of Mexico on March 2, 1836, after the sudden death of President Miguel Barragán. During his administration, he ove ...

* Mariano Otero * Ignacio L. Vallarta *

Pedro Ogazón Pedro Ogazón Rubio (Guadalajara, Jalisco; November 17, 1820 – Orizaba, Veracruz; February 27, 1890) was a Mexican military officer and politician. He served as the governor of Jalisco, Minister of War, a local and federal deputy, and a magistra ...

* *

Luis Pérez Verdía Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...

* *

José María Vigil Jose Maria Vigil (1829 – 18 February 1909) was a Mexican writer. He is known also for establishing a new library and teaching literature, an editor for different newspaper companies, and a professor at different universities. Vigil studied at ...

José López Portillo y Rojas José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...

Enrique González Martínez Enrique González Martínez (April 13, 1871 in Guadalajara, Jalisco – February 19, 1952 in Mexico City) was a Mexican poet, diplomat, surgeon and obstetrician. His poetry is considered to be primarily Modernist in nature, with elements of Fre ...

* *

Salvador García Diego Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

Pablo Gutiérrez Pablo Gutiérrez is a Spanish writer. He studied journalism in Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is ...

Jacobo Gálvez Jacobo is both a surname and a given name of Spanish origin. Based on the name Jacob. Notable people with the name include: Surname: * Alfredo Jacobo (born 1982), Olympic breaststroke swimmer from Mexico * Cesar Chavez Jacobo, Dominican profession ...

Manuel Gómez Ibarra Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name), a given name and surname * Manuel (''Fawlty Towers''), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manuel I of Portugal, king of Po ...

Andrés Cavo Andrés Cavo, SJ (1739, Guadalajara – 1803, Rome) was a Jesuit and historian of New Spain. His ''Historia de México'', completed in exile in Rome, was "the first attempt of a general history of the period of Spanish domination in Mexico" and ...

The statue is hollow and it was restored in 2021 as it showed cracks in its spear, knee and torso.

Reception

Initially, the statue was received unfavorably by the city's inhabitants, as they considered it did not represent the goddess in an appropriate manner. Since then, the reception turned positive and it has become a popular destination of the city. Historian Bettina Monti Colombani found a comment that said: "If the painting of statues in this fashion continues, it won't be long before we have the Autochthon Minerva transformed into the 'green Indian'". Monti Colombani also found that the first time the statue was integrated by the citizens was in 1987 when a group of

C.D. Guadalajara Club Deportivo Guadalajara S.A de C.V. (;), nicknamed ''"Chivas"'' () and simply known as Guadalajara or internationally as Chivas de Guadalajara, is a Mexican professional football club based in the Guadalajara metropolitan area, Jalisco. It ...

fans celebrated there the victory of the team. They also attempted to dress her in the team's shirt.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Mexico, Visual arts 1957 establishments in Mexico 1957 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Mexico Minerva Outdoor sculptures in Guadalajara Sculptures of Roman goddesses Sculptures of women in Guadalajara Statues in Guadalajara