SANTA FE – A New Mexico city’s statue of a Spanish colonialist that was removed after disputes about its representation has been quietly kept at a private home for months.
The statue of Don Diego de Vargas was removed from a Santa Fe park in June on the orders of Mayor Alan Webber during tensions over local monuments, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported Monday.
Former City Councilor Ron Trujillo said he saw the statue at the house Thursday after being notified of its whereabouts. He declined to identify the property out of what he described as a desire to protect the home and the statue from vandalism.
City spokesman Dave Herndon said the statue has been in the same place since the mayor requested its removal for “safekeeping.”
Webber and City Manager Jarel LaPan Hill were initially misinformed about the location, Herndon said in an email.
“The Mayor and the City Manager were told it was a city facility,” Herndon said.
Some New Mexicans have decried de Vargas as a symbol of Spanish colonization, while supporters have said de Vargas is a symbol of Hispanic pride for leading a peaceful resettlement.
The statue, which was donated to the city and installed in 2007, has been vandalized on multiple occasions. The statue was removed for repairs after a 2013 attempt to pry the figure from its base.
Webber called for the removal of the statue in June along with two other controversial monuments, the Santa Fe Plaza obelisk and the Kit Carson obelisk.
Herndon would not reveal where the city expects the de Vargas statue will be kept.
“The City is reluctant to discuss the disposition of the statue because doing so jeopardizes disclosing its location, its safety, and the privacy of its keepers,” Herndon said.
