Indigenous symbols rise as colonial monuments fall in New Mexico
A decades-long fight to honor Pueblo Nations history is spurring an arts movement and a return to ancestral knowledge.
Demonstrators celebrate the toppling of the Soldier’s Monument obelisk on Oct. 12, 2020, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Indigenous communities in the state have long considered the tribute offensive because it commemorates federal soldiers who fought Pueblo Nations people in the 19th century.
PHOTOGRAPH BY CEDAR ATTANASIO, AP PHOTO
BY KALEN GOODLUCK | PUBLISHED JANUARY 6, 2021 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
Since 1868, a 20-foot-tall obelisk commemorating Civil War Union soldiers has stood at the center of Santa Fe Plaza. The words etched in marble at the memorial’s base originally read: “To the heroes who have fallen in various battles with savage Indians in the Territory of New Mexico”—but the word “savage” had been scratched off in years past. Now, the monument itself no longer stands.
Memorials and monuments to New Mexico’s Spanish and American colonial past—depicting conquerors and missionaries cast in bronze or carved in stone—can be found throughout the state. But, just as Confederate monuments were felled last summer by Black Lives Matter activists, dozens of statues memorializing anti-Indigenous genocidal conquest have also been toppled—from Portland to Chicago to Richmond.
3SC in the press
Rest in Pieces
December 29, 2020, Searchlight New Mexico
Honoring Indigenous Voices and the Environment
November 23, 2020, Santa Fean
Black Lives Matter highlights struggles of all Americans of color
November 12, 2020, Santa Fe New Mexican
Twelve Murals
October 26, 2020, Santa Fe Reporter
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August 30, 2020, NM Political Report
Forest Fire Grows
August 23, 2020, Santa Fe Reporter
Mural Arts goes beyond Philadelphia for environmental justice
August 8, 2020, WHYY
Americans Need to Know the Hard Truth About Union Monuments in the West
July 10, 2020, The Atlantic
3 Sisters Collective talked about their beginnings and the history and future of rematriation in Santa Fe
July 4, 2020, Brave Space
Three Sisters Collective Take the Pen
July 3, 2020, The Ripple Effect
Let’s Talk Monuments And Reckoning With Colonial Histories
July 1, 2020, KUNM Let’s Talk New Mexico
3 ‘sisters’ succeed in removal of racist monuments
June 25, 2020, The Navajo Times
Topping monuments to one-sided history
June 22,2020, Native America Calling
Santa Fe’s ‘lightning rod’ draws more controversy
June 21, 2020, Albuquerque Journal
Plaza Monument Protest Becomes Celebration
June 19, 2020, Santa Fe Reporter
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June 18, 2020, KOB 4 Eyewitness News
A Long Time Coming
June 18, 2020, Santa Fe Reporter
Santa Fe, New Mexico, mayor says controversial monuments will go
June 17, 2020, Indian Country Today
A Shift in the Tide
June 17, 2020, Santa Fe Reporter
Activists protesting controversial statues turn focus to Santa Fe Plaza obelisk
June 16, 2020, Santa Fe New Mexican
New Mexico In Focus
June 12, 2020, New Mexico PBS
Artist, others ask state to save Santa Fe mural
February 15, 2020, Santa Fe New Mexican
Dr Christina Castro of Three Sisters Collective & Ricardo Cate, Cartoonist with host Jennifer Villela
February 15, 2020, KTRC Coffee and Culture
Indigenous Women’s Day at The Roundhouse is February 13
February 12, 2020, Indian Country Today
Hotel Draws Criticism
February 3, 2020, Santa Fe Reporter
Santa Fe Women’s March smaller but boisterous
January 18, 2020, Santa Fe New Mexican
Raising Awareness about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in New Mexico
July 26, 2019, New Mexico in Focus
‘Like we had come home’: Navajo and Ute residents of Utah welcome Pueblo people back to Bears Ears
July 22, 2019, The Salt Lake Tribune
Whoever Controls the Wall, Controls the Voice
July 5, 2019, Santa Fe Reporter
MOIFA Celebrates Art as Activism at the Santa Fe Railyard
June 18, 2019, Museum of New Mexico Media Center
Empowerment through Self-Defense
June 7, 2019, Santa Fe Reporter
Women gather at Roundhouse to honor murdered, missing; demand action
March 7, 2019, Navajo Times
A uniquely New Mexican act of protest
Jan 19, 2019, Santa Fe New Mexican
Women’s March will celebrate successes
Jan 14, 2019, Santa Fe New Mexican
Women’s March coming to Santa Fe for third year
Jan 13, 2019, Albuquerque Journal
A wave of marchers to stand for women’s rights
Jan 11, 2019, Santa Fe New Mexican
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January 6, 2019, NDN Collective
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Dec 6, 2018, Albuquerque Journal
3 Sisters Collective holds space for Indigenous Peoples Day and beyond
Oct 2, 2018, Santa Fe Reporter
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April 5, 2018, Jezebel
Interview with 3 Sisters Collective founders
March 26, 2018, Brave Space radio show
Reclaiming Santa Fe
Oct 7, 2017, Santa Fe New Mexican
Three Sisters Collective 