Soldiers' Monument (Santa Fe, New Mexico)

The Soldiers' Monument is a cenotaph at the center of the Santa Fe Plaza, a monument collectively memorializing deaths in several specified battles. It is obscured from public view and access by concreteboard walls used as a preservation measure. Erected during the late 1860s in the aftermath of the American Civil War, it consisted of a 33 feet (10 m) stone obelisk atop a plinth; only the plinth stands currently, and exhibits some damage. During the late nineteenth century, the monument was used as a place for Union veterans to gather at annual Memorial Day events to decorate the cenotaph and hear brief presentations.[1][2]

Soldiers' Monument
Map
35°41′14.7474″N 105°56′18.6714″W / 35.687429833°N 105.938519833°W / 35.687429833; -105.938519833
LocationSanta Fe Plaza, New Mexico
Typeobelisk and plinth with engraved text
Materialstone
Height33 feet (10 m) (including obelisk)
Dedicated date1868
Dedicated toCivil War soldiers and U.S. soldiers who battled with Native Americans
Dismantled dateOctober 12, 2020
Santa Fe Plaza in 1885, photo by D.B. Chase

The square plinth includes four inscribed panels, three of which dedicate the monument to unnamed Union Army soldiers who died on the battlefields of New Mexico Territory in the American Civil War. The fourth panel on the monument commemorates US soldiers who died "in the various battles with savage Indians", referring to the Army's then-ongoing campaigns comprising the American Indian Wars § West of the Mississippi (1804–1924). The word "savage" was chiseled-off by an anonymous person in 1974.[3] On October 12 (Indigenous People's Day) in 2020, the obelisk portion of the monument was toppled by protestors.[4]

Environs

edit
The plaza and monument as depicted on two postcards from the 1930s:
From an East San Francisco Street balcony;
From the southwest pathway.

The Soldiers Monument is located in the center of the rectangular Santa Fe plaza.[5] Its site is at the crux of eight walkways that radiate to the four corners and four sides and connect to a perimeter walkway.[6]

The present siting originates with an 1860s re-design of the town square in a neoclassical style of the prior plaza grounds design.[7] The plaza has native shade trees, grass, flower beds and replica Victorian iron benches and fences designed by John Gaw Meem in his 1967 plaza renovation plan. Stone banco seating border a flower bed at the monument.[8]

Structure

edit
 
The monument in 2012, with chiseled section visible near base on left-facing side
 
The monument in 1890

The monument consists of a stone obelisk with four engraved marble panels on the stone base commemorating U.S. soldiers who died in battles in New Mexico. It is located in the central area of the Santa Fe Plaza in downtown Santa Fe.[9] The monument has a stone foundation; a locally produced brick and lime core plinth; local stone inscribed panels; imported Italian marble trim with marble columns and marble wreathes (Victorian funerary motifs), and marble obelisk. The cenotaph, with its Egyptian architectural associations, is 33-feet tall.[7][10] Builders were McGee & Brother (John and Michael McGee), architects, master stone cutter Tomas Baca, and local craftsmen.[11] The stone panels were inscribed by local craftsmen.[12]

A time capsule was added October 24, 1867[13] containing coins of the period, local newspapers, legislative journals, and other commemorative items.[14]

Plinth

edit

Inscriptions

edit

On January 29, 1868, the territorial legislature dictated the wording for the four stone panels to be inscribed on the monument.[15] Inscribed on the four sides of the cardinal directions of the plinth:

East-facing Panel #1: ERECTED BY THE PEOPLE OF NEW MEXICO THROUGH THEIR LEGISLATURES OF 1866 – 7 – 8. MAY THE UNION BE PERPETUAL

South-facing Panel #2: TO THE HEROES OF THE FEDERAL ARMY WHO FELL AT THE BATTLE OF VALVERDE, FOUGHT WITH THE REBELS FEBUARY 21, 1862

West-facing Panel #3: TO THE HEROES OF THE FEDERAL ARMY WHO FELL AT THE BATTLES OF CANON DEL APACHE AND PIGEON'S RANCH (LA GLORIETA) FOUGHT WITH THE REBELS MARCH 28, 1862 AND TO THOSE WHO FELL AT THE BATTLE FOUGHT WITH THE REBELS AT PERALTA APRIL 15, 1862

North-facing Panel #4: TO THE HEROES WHO HAVE FALLEN IN THE VARIOUS BATTLES WITH SAVAGE INDIANS IN THE TERRITORY OF NEW MEXICO

 
Soldiers' Monument South-facing panel#2 with 'February' misspelled as "Febuary"

The inscriptions contain minor errors.[12] The word "April" was corrected but the word "February" was left misspelled without the first "r." In 1909, in response to complaints, legislators proposed replacing the word "Rebel" with "Confederate," but the measure failed to pass.[16]

On August 8, 1974, the word "savage" was chiselled out of panel 4.[17] In June 2020, the panel was further damaged. In October 2020, the panel 4 was broken out from the plinth.[18] The panel that contained the words "savage Indians" faced towards the Palace of the Governors where local Puebloan artisans sell arts and crafts under the portico.[19][20]

"The Battles of Cañon del Apache and Pigeon's Ranch" mentioned in panel 3 refers to events of the Civil War Battle of Glorieta Pass, "La Glorieta," March 26–28, 1862.[21]

From the 1880s, use of the word "rebel" in panels 2 and 3 was considered by some, an insult to the South. In 1908–1909, the New Mexico governor offered to fund a change in wording while the legislative council passed a resolution supporting inscribing "confederate" in place of "rebel." In opposition, former governor L. Bradford Prince and veterans gained support for leaving the monument "sacred and unmutilated."[22] Governor Prince saw the monument not only as a memorial but a symbol of an historic era, to be preserved in memory of the territory's loyalty to the Union. The monument was left unchanged.[23] In the 1930s, another effort by Texans to have the monument removed because of the word 'rebel' failed to gain support.[24]

Obelisk

edit

The obelisk was of standard design from Edgar Warne & Company marble works, St. Louis, the contractor for the monument material.[25][26][27] In the spring of 1868, the five marble components of the obelisk – four tapered shaft segments and a pyramidal capstone – were placed atop the plinth's tiered stone cap.[28] Construction was completed in June 1868.[29] In 2020, city workers removed the capstone while examining the monument's structural stability for relocation plans.[30]

Brass plaque

edit
 

On the south side of the monument, a concrete stand with interpretive brass plaque prepared in 1973 by the State Cultural Properties Review Committee explains the context for monument wording:[31][32]

"Monument texts reflect the character of the times in which they are written and the temper of those who wrote them. This monument was dedicated in 1868 near the close of a period of intense strife which pitted northerner against southerner, Indian against white, Indian against Indian. Thus, we see on this monument, as in other records, the use of such terms as 'savage' and 'rebel'. Attitudes change and prejudices hopefully dissolve."

Installation

edit

Like other similarly named monuments, it was erected in the aftermath of the American Civil War.[33] The inscription on the brass interpretive plaque makes reference to the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, precursor to the post-statehood New Mexico Legislature, as being instrumental in the planning of the monument. In 1866, after complaints that Union graves were being robbed in New Mexico's Civil War battlefields,[34] the 1866–1867 territorial legislature passed an act to fund the care of Union soldiers' graves and to build a monument to memorialize dead Union soldiers from New Mexico.[35][36]

The monuments committee was chaired by Judge John P. Slough, former Union commander at the Battle of Glorieta Pass. The committee selected the site, hired architects and workers, and contracted with a marble works for a cenotaph of modest design.[37] At the October 24, 1867, cornerstone laying, Slough inserted a time capsule into the cornerstone.[14] Discord and partisan politics of the time interfered with the construction; Slough was killed in December 1867 in Santa Fe by a political rival.[28][38]

A new committee was formed to revise the intent of the under-construction monument. The next legislature, 1867–1868, passed an act January 29, 1868 that stated:[39] "Whereas no provision has been made for honoring the brave victims who have perished in the various wars with the savage Indians surrounding us, and this Legislative Assembly desires that a slab perpetuating the memory of those be included." The fourth panel text was revised. In March workers cut slabs from a local stone quarry and inscribed the text dictated in the 1868 act.[12] On May 30, 1868, the first nation-wide Memorial Day, a ceremony dedicated the nearly-completed Soldiers Monument (it was completed with the placing of the capstone a few days later in June 1868).[40][41][42]

Proposed modifications

edit

During the 1910s–1960s, efforts emerged to remove the monument and replace it with either a gazebo or with a statue of a Spanish colonizer, Don Diego de Vargas.[23] Local Hispanic groups offered to remove the obelisk and install a de Vargas statue on the plinth.[43]

During the 1950s, Oliver La Farge and other preservationists opposed the removal of the obelisk, supported a city architectural preservation ordinance for the downtown's historic core and the nomination of the plaza (including the Soldiers Monument) as a National Historic Landmark.[44][45] A proposal to replace the monument with a festive gazebo was also opposed by preservationists.[46][8]

Public responses and actions

edit
 
Santa Fe Soldier's Monument, temporary plaque (previous plaque removed), 2022

The monument has been described as racist[47] due to the derogatory references to indigenous people in the area then known as New Mexico Territory and now known as New Mexico[33] There were complaints during the 1950s[48] to remove or replace it, that continued for decades. During the 1960s, too, the words 'savage Indians' became the focus of criticism. In his 1960 column, Oliver La Farge had noted the wording, stating that the words 'savage Indians' meant Navajo and Mescalero Apache and the "rebels" meant these Native elements and Confederate soldiers from Texas.[49]

In 1961 an elder of Tesuque Pueblo stated that his first realization he was a second-class citizen was when he read the words 'savage Indian' on the panel as a child. He added, the word should be changed: "why should future generations of American Indian children continue to have this insulting reminder that the conquerors considered them little more than blood-lusting beasts, not notable martyrs fighting for their homes?"[50]

By the end of the decade Native and non-native people were increasingly discontent about such symbols of conquest as the monument. In 1973, the American Indian Movement leadership wrote the governor of New Mexico to change the wording of panel 4 or remove the Soldiers Monument.[51] The governor asked the city, which first passed a motion to remove it, then faced local opposition by old families and preservationists. Because of an earlier federal grant the state had also agreed to preserve the monument for a set period. The city reversed its decision.[52] The state government proposed a plaque be added to explain the context of the words "Rebel" and "Savage Indians". Native organizations were advised, with agreement at the official state level, but concerns remained that the plaque was not enough.[31]

The GI Forum in Taos sent a message to the governor stating that the panel 4 wording was disturbing and should be obliterated: "no explanation in favor of the phrase can be sufficiently convincing."[53] After meeting with Pueblo elders, the state revised the text again.[54] By the end of 1973, the growing controversy superficially appeared resolved.[55]

In 2000, Wanda Ross Padilla (then president of the Santa Fe chapter of the NAACP) spoke out about the derogatory wording.[32] City management was hesitant to make changes because the plaza received federal aid as a National Historic Landmark in the 1960s and 1970s.[56]

By June 2020, the Three Sisters Collective, a Santa Fe organization, whose "vision is to reclaim and celebrate Pueblo Indigenous identity and culture through the arts and activism," wrote on social media "This racist monument against indigenous peoples has got to go."[57]

Local indigenous activists had planned a peaceful protest to support the removal of the monument. Shortly thereafter, Mayor Alan Webber stated that he planned to have the monument removed in addition to two others that symbolized glorification of conquest and violence. After the mayor's announcement, protest organizers announced that instead of the planned protest a celebration would be held to mark the city's intent to remove the monument. A diverse crowd of several hundred people gathered at the plaza for two hours of talks focusing on reconciliation, social justice and a new era of civil rights. The crowd was made up of Native Americans, Anglos, Hispanic and African Americans of all age ranges. The celebration was organized by Jade Begay of NDN Collective, along with The Red Nation and the Three Sisters Collective.[30] The plaza rally was peaceful and free of conflict, although two attendees marked the obelisk with red handprints. Less than one day before, the monument had been damaged by a state-contracted crew in an unsuccessful attempt to remove it. However the tip of the obelisk was removed by crane due to safety concerns.[30]

Chiseling

edit
 
Detail of plaque engraving with the word 'savage' chiseled off

On August 8, 1974, the word "savage" was chiseled off.[17] The chairman of the All-Indian Pueblo Council, Del Lovato, stated "I'm happy it's off [the word 'savage'] and I hope it stays off, period." It was reported that a young man wearing a hard hat walked into the plaza and chiseled out the word "savage" from the monument.[58] His identity has never been confirmed, although a woman claims it was her father.[59] The Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper reported that the man was described as being "in his 20s and having long blond hair" worn in a pony tail. A witness stated that no one questioned the man because he "looked official."[17] At the time of the incident, the state historian, Dr. Myra Ellen Jenkins, said her "immediate reaction was that I doubt it was an Indian [who performed the chisling] but some Anglo kook." She went on to add that "Vandalism is not an Indian characteristic. Protest, yes; vandalism, no."[58]

The reference to Native Americans as 'savages' in panel text #4 had long been a sore point to Native community groups who felt that the entire monument was an affront to their people because it "paid homage to Union soldiers who helped cement a claim to the territory for a nation that believed its [manifest] destiny stretched westward."[18]

Subsequently, various unauthorized alterations have been made to the obelisk, including the marking of "courageous" in 2014 over the area where "savage" had been previously chiseled, and in 2020 further blunt damage to the side of the obelisk previously chiseled along with spray-painting over other parts.[60][18]

 
Red handprints marked on the monument in June 2020

Brass plaque removal

edit

The brass interpretive plaque was removed in 2020.[30]

Toppling

edit

In mid-2020, there were a series of protests on the plaza. On October 12, 2020, protesters who had been at the plaza for the previous weekend toppled the top three components of the obelisk using ropes. Some arrests were made prior to the toppling, although it is not clear if they resulted in immediate bookings; some injuries were reported.[61][4][62] [18]

In anticipation of protests on the Plaza, city workers had gathered plywood to board off the obelisk; however, it was not assembled before the toppling occurred.[63]

The following Sunday, the Santa Fe New Mexican published the weekly combined op-ed/letters to the editor/editorial page section solely on the toppling of the obelisk; various New Mexicans opined, including cartoonist Ricardo Caté[64] and the author Hampton Sides.[65]

In February 2021, another person was arrested and charged with criminal damage to property. In June 2021, a man was arrested after climbing a box covering the pedestal and damaging part of it.[66][67] Also that June, a local fraternal order, the Union Protectíva de Santa Fé, filed a lawsuit against the Santa Fe city government after the city announced plans to remove it permanently.[68] As of 2022, eight people had been charged for destroying the obelisk,[69] and all but one has participated in community/restorative justice programs in exchange for charges being dropped.[70] Testimony in a civil lawsuit over the obelisk's removal began in September 2024.[71] That December, a judge ordered the Santa Fe government to remove the plywood around the obelisk within 30 days and to restore the obelisk to its pre-2020 condition within 180 days.[72][73] If the obelisk were not restored, the Santa Fe government was required to instead initiate a historic review process.[74]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Wilson, Chris (1997). The Myth of Santa Fe, Creating a Modern Regional Tradition. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. pp. 185–186. ISBN 978-0826317469.
  2. ^ "Flowers for All". The Santa Fe New Mexican. May 31, 1894. p. 4. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  3. ^ Chacon, Daniel (June 23, 2020). "Obelisk in Plaza Vandalized". Santa Fe New Mexican. pp. A1, A5. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Mullan, Dillon (October 12, 2020). "Protesters tear down Plaza obelisk". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  5. ^ Mather, Cotton (1995). Registered Places of New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment. Mesilla: New Mexico Geographical Society. pp. 43–45. ISBN 0964384108.
  6. ^ "El Palacio Real de Santa Fe Sheet 1". Historic American Buildings Survey Collection. Library of Congress. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Wilson, Chris (1997). The Myth of Santa Fe, Creating a Modern Regional Tradition. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. pp. 58. 60. ISBN 978-0826317469.
  8. ^ a b DeVolder, Arthur (July 1979). "John Gaw Meem, F. A. I. A.; An Appreciation". New Mexico Historical Review. 54 (3): 209–225. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  9. ^ "Plaza and Soldier's Monument Santa Fe, New Mexico". New Mexico Santa Fe Trail Scenic Byways. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  10. ^ "Weekly New Mexican, June 9, 1868, Soldier's Monument". Weekly New Mexican. June 9, 1868. p. 2. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  11. ^ Laws of the Territory of New Mexico passed by the Legislative Assembly, session 1867–68. Santa Fe: Manderfield & Tucker. 1868. p. 136. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c "The Monument". Weekly New Mexican. March 24, 1868. p. 2. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  13. ^ Twitchell, Ralph (1925). Old Santa Fe, The Story of New Mexico's Ancient Capital. Santa Fe: New Mexican. p. 393. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Corner Stone Laying". The New Mexican. November 5, 1867. p. 1. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  15. ^ Laws of the Territory of New Mexico passed by the Legislative Assembly, session 1867–68. Santa Fe: Manderfield & Tucker. 1868. p. 72. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  16. ^ "Majority in House Votes for Good Measures". Albuquerque Citizen. March 5, 1909. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  17. ^ a b c Schubert, Joe (August 8, 1974). "Monument's word removed". The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. 1. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  18. ^ a b c d Gerstein, Michael (December 27, 2020). "Obelisk longtime catalyst for rancor". The Santa Fe New Mexican. pp. C1, C8. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  19. ^ ""El Portal" at the Palace of the Governors". Collectors Guide. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  20. ^ "New Mexico: Palace of the Governors". U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  21. ^ "Battle of Glorieta Pass". Pecos National Historical Park. National Park Service. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  22. ^ Prince, LeBaron (1909). Soldiers' Monument in the Plaza of Santa Fe: Remarks of Hon. L. Bradford Prince in Opposition to the Resolution to Cut the Word "Rebel" in Three Places and Insert "Confederate". Santa Fe: np.
  23. ^ a b Rothman, Hal (1998). Devil's Bargain, Tourism in the Twentieth-Century West. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas. pp. 81–112. ISBN 0-7006-0910-5.
  24. ^ "The Plaza Monument". The Santa Fe New Mexican. July 19, 1935. p. 4. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  25. ^ Sketch Book of St. Louis. St. Louis: George Knapp & Co. 1868. p. 392. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  26. ^ Edward's Annual Directory. St. Louis: Missouri Republican Office. 1865. p. 740. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  27. ^ "Advertisements". Leavenworth Times. July 21, 1867. p. 2. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  28. ^ a b "The Monument". Weekly Santa Fe Gazette. June 13, 1868. p. 2. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  29. ^ "Soldier's Monument". Weekly New Mexican. June 9, 1868. p. 2. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  30. ^ a b c d Chacon, Daniel J.; Martinez, Amanda (June 19, 2020). "Demonstration and Celebration". The Santa Fe New Mexican. pp. A1, A4. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  31. ^ a b Grimes, Ronald (1992). Symbol and Conquest, Public Ritual and Drama in Santa Fe. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. pp. 47–50. ISBN 08263-1372-8.
  32. ^ a b Mitchell, Don; Staeheli, Lynn A. (2005). "Turning Social Relations into Space: Property, Law and the Plaza of Santa Fe, New Mexico". Landscape Research. 30 (3): 361–378. Bibcode:2005LandR..30..361M. doi:10.1080/01426390500165435. S2CID 144846261. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  33. ^ a b Nelson, Megan Kate (July 10, 2020). "Americans Need to Know the Hard Truth About Union Monuments in the West". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  34. ^ Journal of the Legislative Council of the Territory of New Mexico, Of the Session Begun and Held in thee City of Santa fe, Territory of New Mexico, on Monday the Third Day of December, A. D. One Thousand Eight Hundred and Sixty-Six it being the Sixteenth Legislative Assembly for the Said Territory. Santa Fe: Manderfield & Tucker. 1867. pp. 21–23. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  35. ^ Laws of the Territory of New Mexico passed by the Legislative Assembly, Session 1866–1867. Santa Fe: Manderfield & Tucker. 1868. p. 73. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  36. ^ Thompson, Jerry (2015). A Civil War History of the New Mexico Volunteers and Militia. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. p. 441. ISBN 9780826355676.
  37. ^ No title. Weekly New Mexican. June 1, 1867. p. 2. Retrieved December 21, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  38. ^ Roberts, Gary (1990). Death Comes for the Chief Justice, the Slough-Rynerson Quarrel and Political Violence in New Mexico. Niwot: University Press of Colorado. pp. passim. ISBN 0870812122.
  39. ^ Laws of the Territory of New Mexico: passed by the Legislative Assembly, session 1867–68. Santa Fe: Manderfield & Tucker. 1868. p. 72.
  40. ^ No title. Weekly Santa Fe Gazette. May 23, 1868. p. 2. Retrieved December 21, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  41. ^ "To the Dead Heroes". Weekly New Mexican. June 2, 1868. p. 2. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  42. ^ "Soldier's Monument". Weekly New Mexican. June 9, 1868. p. 2. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  43. ^ Lovato, Andrew (2004). Santa Fe Hispanic Culture, Preserving Identity in a Tourist Town. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. pp. passim. ISBN 0-8263-3225-0.
  44. ^ LaFarge, Oliver (November 5, 1967). "10-Year-Old LaFarge Story Clears Obelisk". The Santa Fe New Mexican. pp. A1, A7. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  45. ^ Wilson, Chris (1997). The Myth of Santa Fe, Creating a Modern Regional Tradition. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. pp. 315–317. ISBN 978-0826317469.
  46. ^ "Archivist Opposes Plans to Change Santa Fe Plaza". The Santa Fe New Mexican. October 1, 1967. p. 31. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  47. ^ Chacón, Daniel J. (August 19, 2017). "Monuments to history — or oppression?". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  48. ^ Wilson, C. (1997);The Myth of Santa Fe: Creating a Modern Regional Tradition (Albuquerque, NM:University of New Mexico Press)
  49. ^ "Record Put Straight on Odd Folk-lore of Misinformation". The Santa Fe New Mexican. February 14, 1960. p. 18. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  50. ^ Johnson, Spud (July 9, 1961). "Gadfly Solves Obelisk Problem". The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. 31. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  51. ^ "'Savage' Not Easily Removed from Monument". Las Vegas Optic. August 10, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  52. ^ "Monument Removal Rescinded". The Santa Fe New Mexican. September 27, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  53. ^ "Forum enters dispute". The Santa Fe New Mexican. August 15, 1973. p. 13. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  54. ^ Steinberg, David (October 21, 1973). "Larry Casuse Was Figure in Plaza Monument Battle". Albuquerque Journal. p. 39. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  55. ^ "'Savage' Indian an Honor?". The Santa Fe New Mexican. November 25, 1973. p. 4. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  56. ^ Terrell, Steve (August 9, 2000). "Montaño supports obelisk removal". The Santa Fe New Mexican. pp. A1, A2. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  57. ^ ChacEon, Daniel (June 18, 2020). "Activists protesting controversial statues turn focus to Santa Fe Plaza obelisk". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  58. ^ a b Steinberg, Dave (August 10, 1974). "Police Search for Vandal of Monument in Santa Fe". Albuquerque Journal. p. 32. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  59. ^ A Long Time Coming, 2020-06-18
  60. ^ Bennett, Megan; Oswald, Mark (August 19, 2017). "Santa Fe to review markers, monuments". Albuquerque Journal (North). Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  61. ^ Last, T.S. (October 12, 2020). "Native American activists tear down Santa Fe obelisk". Albuquerque Journal. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  62. ^ Attanasio, Cedar; Fonseca, Felicia (October 12, 2020). "Protesters topple monument in Santa Fe Plaza, part of Indigenous Peoples Day demonstration". Las Cruces Sun News. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  63. ^ Haywood, Phaedra. "A year later, Santa Fe obelisk fallout remains". Santa Fe New Mexican.
  64. ^ Caté, Ricardo. "The obelisk is down; now we pick up the pieces". Santa Fe New Mexican.
  65. ^ Sides, Hampton. "After the obelisk: We can do better". Santa Fe New Mexican.
  66. ^ "Photos show damaged Santa Fe obelisk covering". KRQE NEWS 13 – Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. June 10, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  67. ^ "New arrest made in Santa Fe obelisk destruction". KRQE News 13 Albuquerque – Santa Fe. February 19, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  68. ^ Attanasio, Cedar (June 18, 2021). "Hispanic group sues Santa Fe mayor over destroyed obelisk". AP News. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  69. ^ Haywood, Phaedra (March 2, 2021). "Judge finds probable cause to try gallery owner in Santa Fe obelisk destruction". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  70. ^ Proctor, Jeff (February 15, 2022). "Four Restored". Santa Fe Reporter. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  71. ^ Fisher, Austin (September 13, 2024). "Soldier's Monument not significant to the Santa Fe Plaza history, expert testifies in civil case • Source New Mexico". Source New Mexico. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  72. ^ Fjeld, Jonathan (December 20, 2024). "Judge orders City of Santa Fe to restore soldiers' monument". KOB.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  73. ^ Upchurch, Marilyn (December 21, 2024). "Judge orders Santa Fe to restore plaza obelisk". KRQE NEWS 13 – Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  74. ^ Haywood, Phaedra (December 5, 2024). "Judge orders city of Santa Fe to rebuild obelisk or go through historic review process". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved December 21, 2024.

35°41′14.7474″N 105°56′18.6714″W / 35.687429833°N 105.938519833°W / 35.687429833; -105.938519833

External media

edit
External videos
  The toppling videographed by then Albuquerque Journal reporter Joni Auden Land, Twitter video
External videos
  The toppling videographed as part of KOAT 7 reportage, YouTube video