A bronze monument to Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella I of Castile was removed from the vicinity of the Colombian capital, Bogotá's El Dorado International Airport, by the Colombian Ministry of Culture after indigenous people tried to topple the statues.
According to the ministry's announcement, the purpose of the decision is to start a dialogue, in the framework of which the Ministry of Culture asks people to think about the importance and value of cultural heritage. The ministry said the statues will remain in the custody of the government.
Erected in 1906, the Monument dedicated to Queen Isabella I of Castile and Christopher Columbus consists of two bronze statues created by the Italian sculptor Cesare Sighinolfi.
On Wednesday, protesting Misak indigenous people tried to topple the two statues, after a few weeks ago they toppled the statue of the Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, the founder of Bogotá, and carried out similar actions in several parts of the South American country. The Colombian riot police (ESMAD) finally prevented the demolition of the statue of the founder of the city of Bogotá by using tear gas.
A group of Misak indigenous people living mainly in Cauca County in southwestern Colombia toppled a statue of the Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar in Cali, the seat of Valle del Cauca County, in April, and in Popayán, the seat of Cauca County, in September. Both cities were founded by Belalcázar.
MTI
Cover image: Photo: wikipedia.org
