Mérida, Yucatán (Oct. 12th).- A group of people that call themselves “Those who do not want a monument to the Montejo in Merida, Yucatan” (“Los que no queremos un monumento a los Montejo en Mérida, Yucatán”), tried to plant a Ceiba tree on the evening of Saturday October 12th, at the foot of the statue of the conqueror and his son, on Paseo de Montejo.
At the site, located on the crossing of Paseo de Montejo with Calle 47, Municipal Police agents arrived to talk with the protesters, and of course, to stop them from planting the tree.
It was about 8 pm when the group of citizens, made up of four women and four men, arrived at the monument dedicated to Francisco de Montejo and his son, Francisco de Montejo el Mozo.
One of the men began to dig a hole in the grass area in front of the monument, in order to plant a young Ceiba, the sacred tree of the Maya.
The protest was held within the framework of October 12, the date on which Christopher Columbus “discovered” America, formerly known in Mexico as Day of the Race (Día de la Raza), and that is now better known as “Indigenous People’s Day” or “Meeting of two Worlds.”
According to the protesters, the monument to the conqueror and his son represents an offense to the original people of Yucatan, because the statue honors those who appropriated this land by way of exterminating and enslaving the Maya.
The Ceiba tree, as many other endemic trees of the Yucatan, is easy to sow, and by planting a branch is enough for a new tree to sprout.
The protesters were not allowed to plant the tree, and were removed from the site, however no arrests were made in relation to this incident.
The Yucatan Times Newsroom
