Mexico to replace Columbus statue with indigenous woman

MEXICO CITY: A statue of Christopher Columbus in the heart of Mexico City will be replaced by one of an indigenous woman, authorities said on Tuesday, days before the country’s 200th independence anniversary.

The figure of the Italian navigator, which was removed from Reforma Avenue last year as protesters vowed to topple it, will be moved to "a safe, dignified" place, the National Institute of Anthropology and History said.

It will be replaced by a sculpture of an indigenous Olmec woman made by the Mexican artist Pedro Reyes, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said. "It is precisely indigenous women who have perhaps had the greatest burden in the history of Mexico and to whom the least recognition has been given," she said.