What next...a giant statue of Hitler in Jerusalem?

Check out this link.

It is a geneological website and this page contains information about Geronimo Marquez, a soldier under Onate's command. Read the footnotes relating to the Acoma events and draw your own conclusions. Nothing is ever black or white, there is always another side to every story.

After thinking about this statue, I thought, well, Okay, but why stop there? Why not a gaint statue of Hitler or Stalin, maybe Sadam ( could probably get that cheap from someone in Iraq (might have a mashed head though). (Heck, Fremont in Seattle has one of Stalin it's trying to sell, maybe ElPaso can get a good deal) I mean, let's make a roadside attraction out of this.. The town folk could finally put their town's name on the map, a tourist place for the wannabe terrorist art lover....I mean outside of Kinky Freedman's well known song about "an a...... from Elpaso". what else does this city have to offer. But seriously folks, talent does not excuse ignorance. The film was well produced, thought provoking. An inside veiw of the clay feet of a great man. Denial at it's best. Interesting note, about going blind through the eyes, when the soul has been blind for self serving talent.....Just a few thoughts Sad to see that this town is still holding on to its economic divisions, thinking about how money is spent on the luxury not improving the other side of the tracks ( kinda shades of Giant, the novel made famous by the 50's movie). But again, this is why I left Texas after 20 years, not ever to return Alee

Last night I had the opportunity to see The Last Conquistador with a group of Native people, many of whom were from Acoma. As a Native American Studies student and also someone who has been blessed with the friendship of many Native people, I can only say that the statue of a genocidal madman who died in disgrace is one more object lesson in the continuing shameful behavior of the present breed of conquistadors, or colonizers, who continue the nightmare for Native peoples through such practices as blood quantum identification and federal denial of tribal recognition. The wealthy, white elite of El Paso who seem practically orgasmic at the sight of their investment stand as an indictment of Americans who continue to fret over Darfur while turning their backs on the atrocities that exist on every reservation in this country.

Why dosen't the community send out a call for artists to paint murals about this Spaniard all over town . This should generate a lot of publicity. I would think the artists would donate their talents.
Theodore Morris
Artist - Florida Lost Tribes

In rebuttal to Romero"s comments I logged on to the web site and read the account of one, Geronimo Marquez and I find them quite irrelevent to the discussion, In the first considering the fact that he was employed in the same goals as Onate, just how reliable is his personal accounts. Second, no matter what the era it is very hard to justify the conquest and genocide and this is blact and white, right vs wrong good vs evil. I know you you are not suggesting that the Acoma did not have the right to attempt to repel a brutal conquest bent on destruction of their culture, at all cost by any means.All that you need do is to look at the faces of the Native American people in the film and see the hurt, pain and betrayal eched on their faces to kmow that this project wsa just wrong, for this area. Again why not erect a statute of old Jeff Davis in the middle of Harlem?

In this film, "The Last Conquistador", the part that upset me most was John Houser's 'show of grief' followed by his reminding us that 'it's too late now'. Anyone else sense an undercurrent of disingenuousness there? As he shared with us in this documentary, he knew of Juan de Onate's reputation before he even started work on this sculpture. But now, any way you look at it, Mr. Houser has his monument, this monument that will stand in perpetuity as John Housers’ most recognized work.

I'm not some kind of bleeding heart liberal - but I know injustice when I see it, and that statue represents a grave injustice to all Native American people, especially to the people of Acoma Pueblo. And if you think about it, Juan de Onate doesn’t stand simply as and individual who terrorized the Native American people. Rather he puts a face on a single representation of all those wrongs that Native American people had to endure over those first centuries in the making of the America that we know today.

There needs to be an ongoing protest at that statue in El Paso. If I was a member of Acoma Pueblo I would, at the Santa Fe Indian Market or at the next Pow Wow in Albuquerque, try to drum up support for maintaining a constant Native American presence and protest at the statue of Mr. Housers’ conquistador. We can’t just end this thing with, “well, it’s too late now”.

The insensitivity of the rich people who donated the cash to create this statue is so palpable and hateful that I pledge I will never set foot in El Paso to see that horrible monument to egos that run roughshode over the gentle Indian beings who protested its erection in their city. It is an atrocity and an obscenity. May there be a curse on those who continue to oppress the people. The artist who goes blind, does so because of his most horrible karma. The entire situation makes me sick to my stomach and sad to be an American.