Tlalli

Tlalli
Artist's rendering
LocationMexico City, Mexico
DesignerPedro Reyes
MaterialVolcanic rock
Width5 m (16 ft) (proposed)
Height9 m (30 ft) (proposed)
Weight150 t (150 long tons; 170 short tons) (proposed)
Beginning date2021
Dedicated toMexican indigenous women
Dismantled date2021

Tlalli (Nahuatl pronunciation; Nahuatl languages: land)[a] was a proposed sculpture of a large indigenous woman's head by contemporary artist Pedro Reyes. It was proposed to replace the Monument to Christopher Columbus along Mexico City's Paseo de la Reforma.

Tlalli was inspired by the Olmec colossal heads and its intention was to honor 500 years of the resistance of indigenous women. The mayor of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum, announced on 5 September 2021 that Tlalli would replace the monument to Columbus. The announcement, design, name, and the selection of Reyes as the sculptor, as well the undiscussed removal of Columbus, received mixed opinions. Days later, Sheinbaum said that a committee would determine its future, and then in October stated a copy of The Young Woman of Amajac would be placed there instead.

Although the government of the city never addressed the project as canceled, journals and academic members consider it as such.[1][2][3] According to the city's Secretary of Culture, Claudia Curiel de Icaza, the project is still under consideration but The Young Woman of Amajac has higher priority.[4]


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  1. ^ "A la sombra | Claudia Sheinbaum". El Sol de México (in Spanish). 12 October 2021. Archived from the original on 17 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  2. ^ Rivera, Niza (29 September 2021). "UNAM discute en foro la polémica sobre la estatua de Colón, Tlali y el espacio público". Proceso (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  3. ^ Ochoa Sandy, Gerardo (22 October 2021). "Cristóbal Colón, la obcecación de la jefa de gobierno". Letras Libres (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  4. ^ Talavera, Juan Carlos (4 July 2022). "Cultura con tinte masivo, Claudia Curiel de Icaza" [Culture with a massive touch, Claudia Curiel de Icaza]. Excélsior (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.