El Paso, Texas: Controversial Conquistador Statue
Massive, 36-foot-tall statue of conquistador Don Juan de Onate. He hosted America's first Thanksgiving, and cut off the feet of natives who didn't like it. The city renamed the statue "The Equestrian," trying to make it less controversial.
- Address:
- Airway Blvd., El Paso, TX
- Directions:
- I-10 exit 25, then north on Airway Blvd a little over one mile to El Paso International Airport. The statue stands beside the entry road.
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Go towards short term parking, then u-turn. Statue has its own small parking lot. Don't know what's controversial about it, but it is big.
[todd kelley, 05/12/2010]The world's largest bronze equestrian statue was bolted into place on October 25, 2006 at the entrance to El Paso, Texas's international airport. It stands 36 feet tall on an eight-foot base, and is the second-tallest statue in Texas, overshadowed only by a titanic Sam Houston in Huntsville.
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The controversy was about this particular Conquistador's habit of punishing local Indians by cutting off their feet.