Fate of Alcade Oñate statue in limbo

Apr. 18—It was an emotional June afternoon when Rio Arriba County workers removed a statue of Juan de Oñate from its pedestal in Alcalde — some cheered and danced, while others screamed curses.

Since then, though, all has mostly been quiet around the Oñate Monument Center just north of Española as the final fate of the controversial statue remains unknown.

County Manager Tomas Campos had told the Journal hours after the statue's removal that a community-wide discussion would be held to determine whether the statue would return.

But, 10 months on, those conversations are still waiting to happen, with the statue — once a lightning rod for controversy — now sitting quietly in an Alcalde garage maintained by the county.

Campos cited the COVID-19 pandemic as the cause for the delay.

"(The County Commission is) waiting for COVID to go away, so we can have an open meeting and have public input," he said.

Campos said officials wanted to wait until after the November 2020 election, since the commission was expecting at least one new member. Originally, though, he had wanted to place the matter on a ballot for voters to decide, but was advised that asking voters such a question was not permitted.

The statue has been a source of controversy since it was erected in 1994. Three years later, someone removed one of the Oñate statue's feet, a callback to when Oñate and his men purportedly cut off the right foot of dozens of Acoma men in 1599.

Last year, Campos decided to remove the statue from its location and place it in storage after the county had received word that protesters would attempt to tear it down.

Monuments of racist and controversial figures were a flashpoint across the country in 2020, with protesters tearing down several in several cities, including the Soldiers' Monument Obelisk in the Santa Fe Plaza.

Some local governments decided to take down offensive monuments.

Hundreds of Indigenous activists and protesters celebrated when authorities removed the Oñate statue. Still, it's unclear how temporary Oñate's removal will be.

For Española City Councilor John Ramon Vigil, who also serves as president of the Fiesta del Valle de Española, the wait for a community discussion has been tense.

"I'm a little concerned," Vigil said. "There's a large majority of the community that supports the statue being in public."

He also said he would like discussions held between the local Hispanic community and Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo tribal officials — but he added that so-called "outsiders" had no place in those talks.

He noted that then-Ohkay Owingeh Gov. Ron Lovato had authored a joint statement with former state Sen. Joseph Sanchez, criticizing the decision to remove the monument.

"I really do not care what Santa Fe, or people from back east, or someone from California have to say about this discussion," he said.

While the Journal was unable to reach county commissioners for comment, Campos said he expects most public speakers to be in favor of putting the statue back.

Both Campos and Vigil claimed protesters that had attended the statue's removal were not from the Española Valley.

However, Elena Ortiz, a Red Nation organizer and Ohkay Owingeh tribal member, said many of the protesters and organizers were from the area.

"There were two or three dozen pueblo people," Ortiz said. "The famous photograph that was taken of Thantsideh dancing on top of the platform — he's from Ohkay Owingeh."

The Journal also interviewed multiple local residents who had attended the protest that day.

Ortiz said she didn't support the Ohkay Owingeh government speaking solely for pueblo people at a future meeting, adding Lovato's statement had been widely criticized in the community.

"Pueblo women are the ones who carry the weight of what Oñate did," she said. "We have not been given a voice in pueblo government."

Campos said he would advocate for the statue to be placed inside a county building and that he's worried someone might try to damage it again.

"It cost me $12,000 to put the foot back," he said.

"I don't want to go through that again."

Ortiz agreed the county would be taking a risk by putting the statue back on display.