Draft:Tlali

Tlali was designed by Mexican artist Pedro Reyes. A smaller version of the work was exhibited in Lisson Gallery in New York City in May 2021^[1].The sculpture was carved from volcanic rock and produced in three workshops located in Iztapalapa, Chimalhuacán and Coyoacán by women artisans and sculptors.

The sculpture drew inspiration from the Olmecs, a pre-Columbian civilization that developed during the Mesoamerican Preclassic Era. A common mistake is to confuse Tlali with the Nahuatl word tlalli, which literally translates as “earth.” Although the piece is inspired by this term, Reyes chose a title that functions more as a proper noun. Reyes cited the Olmec colossal heads as a key reference and noted the challenge of reimagining the traditionally male features of these monuments in a female form.

The eyes are inspired by those of a jaguar, while her lips are formed by two snakes. For the hair, a pair of braids converging at the occipital bone was chosen to create a representation of Ollin, the Earthquake Sun. According to Reyes, he initially designed the figure with a bun, but anthropologists advised that pre-Hispanic cultures commonly used braided hairstyles that imitated natural forms, including the appearance of ergots.

In 2021, an earlier version of Tlali was proposed as a replacement for the Monument to Christopher Columbus along Mexico City’s Paseo de la Reforma Avenue. In the context of the commemorations marking the 500th anniversary of the fall of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital and present-day Mexico City, the city government announced a series of changes and commemorative events to take place in 2021. Among these were the renaming of plazas and a metro station to incorporate a pre-conquest perspective^[2] . On 5 September 2021—International Indigenous Women’s Day—Claudia Sheinbaum announced that the statue of Columbus would be relocated to Parque América, in Polanco, Miguel Hidalgo. She also stated that Tlali would replace the statue of Columbus, in order to honor 500 years of indigenous women’s resistance, emphasizing that the relocation was not intended to ‘erase history’ but to ‘deliver social justice’. She further noted that the decision followed the receipt of 5,000 signatures from indigenous women calling to "decolonize Paseo de la Reforma" and expressing support for Tlali.

The initial announcement generated mixed reactions. The selection of Reyes as the sculptor drew criticism related to his gender, sexual preference, and the color of his skin. Tlali's name also prompted further commentary, including from Mixe linguist and writer Yásnaya Aguilar, who questioned the use of a Nahuatl name given that the Olmecs are understood to have spoken Mixe–Zoquean language.

A petition was signed calling for Reyes’ exclusion from the project^[3]. By contrast, a separate meeting brought together 5,000 Indigenous women leaders from communities in the Valley of Mexico, who signed a second petition in support of Tlali, arguing that the project should proceed as an initial step toward representation and historical justice. The gathering, dubbed “La descolonización de Reforma” (The Decolonization of Reforma Avenue), was held at the Museo de la Ciudad de México and presided over by Sheinbaum. It was also attended by Senator Jesusa Rodríguez and several Indigenous activists, including human rights defender Hermelinda Tiburcio Cayetano, who stated:  

“Maybe for society this is not important. Perhaps, because of racism or discrimination, it is seen as something ugly or unworthy; but for us, Indigenous women, it means visibility, recognition, and representation.”^[4]

Amid the overlapping opinions, Reyes explained that, in his view, the government selected him because there are few monumental stone sculptors in the country and because he possessed the necessary human and material infrastructure to complete the project, which was scheduled for completion before March 2022^[5]. In response to the controversy, Sheinbaum determined that a committee would decide the site’s future, and in October announced that a replica of The Young Woman of Amajac would be installed there instead^[6].

In 2026, Tlali was acquired for the new David Geffen galleries building of the Los Angeles County Museum (LACMA), designed by Peter Zumthor, in anticipation of the grand opening of the building’s new wing. LACMA’s collection includes several examples of Olmec masks, which were on view in the inaugural installation of the Geffen Galleries^[7]. The resemblance between the formal traits of the masks and Reyes’ sculpture provides the work with a new context, one that considers how contemporary artists draw inspiration from works that are stewarded in collecting institutions such as LACMA. Tlali’s installation at LACMA recontextualizes the work, placing it in dialogue with outdoor sculptures such as Michael Heizer’s Levitated Mass and Mariana Castillo Deball’s Feathered Changes hardscape installation, as well as with the museum’s strong collections in Art of the Ancient Americas and Chicano art, which underscore LACMA’s longstanding connections between Los Angeles and Mexico.