City taking critical look at cultural history
Officials compile list of monuments, historic events; input sought
The city has compiled an inventory of monuments on municipal property and “historic” events that are supported with public dollars as part of an initiative by Mayor Javier Gonzales to strike up a conversation about Santa Fe’s complex cultural history.
In the aftermath of the deadly white supremacist rally in August in Charlottesville, Va., and the nationwide debate about the propriety of Confederate monuments, Gonzales proposed examining the capital city’s own collection of historic markers and events.
The inventory of plaques, events, monuments and murals was released Monday on the city’s website. Members of the public can contribute to the city-compiled list until Dec. 31, after which point City Manager Brian Snyder will put together a final report, city spokesman Matt Ross said.
Gonzales, Snyder and city councilors would then likely issue policy recommendations after residents have weighed in on the final review in early 2018.
“Native and Hispanic people have contributed so much to the richness of our community and, while it may be difficult at times, the conversation about how we do a better job of telling that story will require all of us to come together,” Gonzales said in a statement.
“Once we do, I have no doubt in Santa Fe’s ability to heal and grow stronger.”
The entry on the roster of city-supported events that has drawn the most controversy is the annual Entrada pageant on the Plaza, part of the Fiesta de Santa Fe. It depicts Spanish conquistadors’ 1692 reconquest of Santa Fe and has come under increasing scrutiny as racial tensions have risen nationwide.
Critics maintain the re-enactment glorifies violent treatment of Native Americans. Eight people were arrested amid raucous protests of the event in September.
Catholic Archbishop John Wester said changes to the pageant must be made, and the
city announced talks with the archdiocese and the All Pueblo Council of Governors would be held in a bid to resolve tensions surrounding the event.
Non-Fiesta events that receive logistical support or fee waivers from the city — the working inventory identifies about 30 — include summer art markets, the annual veterans parade and the burning of Zozobra.
Structures on city property that might draw close attention in the review process include the bronze sculpture of Don Diego de Vargas in Cathedral Park and a Ten Commandments monument outside a fire station on Cerrillos Road donated by the Fraternal Order of Eagles in 1968.
Most of the other 60 or so structures on the list are not symbols that have caused confrontation. They include a Korean War memorial in Amelia White Park, the steel “Homage to the Burro” sculpture in Burro Alley and the red caboose in the Railyard. Contact Tripp Stelnicki at 505428-7626.