The Last Conquistador
The city of El Paso is divided over a new public statue of a conquistador that evokes pride in Hispanics, and outrage among Native Americans who consider him a terrorist.
When the renowned sculptor John was commissioned to create a monument to Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate for the city of El Paso, it was meant to be a little larger than life-size. But Houser had other plans: to create the largest bronze equestrian statue ever created. To some, the massive statue is a fitting tribute to the contributions Hispanic people made to building the American West. But Native Americans are outraged — the Oñate they remember was the man who cut off the native people’s feet, brought genocide to their land, and sold their children into slavery. As El Paso divides along lines of race and class in The Last Conquistador, the artist must face the moral implications of his work.