Críticas Magazine

Adriana V. Lopez

The Controversy of The Last Conquistador
July 14, 2008

When the El Paso City Council commissioned a larger-than-life statue of the Spanish Conquistador Juan de Oñate, they weren't expecting the controversy they'd stir up.  They asked the artist John Houser to create a large scale public sculpture of Oñate. They wanted it to be the largest bronze equestrian statue in the world. Houser and El Paso’s council reps envisioned a magnificent and long-overdue tribute to the contributions of Hispanic culture and history to the United States.

But that’s not what happened.

New York based filmmaker Cristina Ibarra’s documentary The Last Conquistador, depicts how the area’s Native Americans had their own kind of memories concerning Oñate. They recalled atrocities, not pleasantries: massacres, slavery and terror. They remembered that Oñate’s foray into New Mexico in 1598 would eventually lead to the deaths of two out of every three Indians there and nearly caused the extermination of Native culture across the region.  As the film shows, the prospect that a murderer’s image would be looming over El Paso, Texas, drew increasing anger and protest.


Ibarra, whose own roots are on the U.S./Mexico border, co-directed the film with John J. Valadez. And for filmmakers Ibarra and Valadez, the statue's story hit a nerve within both of them. “When we first saw how seductive and intoxicating the Oñate monument is, we were both inspired and heartbroken. Inspired by its majesty and raw power, and saddened because the statue overlooks an important part of our legacy: the madness and horror of what we have done to one another and how that trauma continues to affect our lives today.  Why our community can’t respectfully acknowledge the dark edifice of our past and extend a somber embrace to our Indian brothers and sisters is perplexing to us.  After all, as Mexican-Americans we do share in their history, their culture; and it is their blood that runs through our veins.”

On July 6th the San Diego Public Library hosted a screening of the film with  a conversation about public art projects viewed by some as cultural monuments and others as a glorification of genocide. If your library or institution is interested in showing the film or purchasing it, just visit The Last Conquistador's website. It will air on PBS' P.O.V. series on Tuesday, July 15th at 10pm. But check your local listings, of course. Could be different where you live.

Posted by Adriana V. Lopez on July 14, 2008 | Comments (1)