List of anti-monuments in Mexico

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Anti-monuments are installed in Mexico (antimonumentos in Spanish) during popular protests to recall a tragic event or to maintain the claim for justice to which federal and local governments have failed to provide a satisfactory response in the eyes of the complainant.[1] These are erected for issues related to forced disappearances, massacres, femicides and other forms of violence against women, or any other act of violence.

2014 Iguala mass kidnapping

Because most of the anti-monuments are unnamed anonymous works, and the press refers to them simply as "Antimonumentos", some names are unofficial and use recognizable elements to distinguish them from other similar works.

The first anti-monument in the country features a "Plus 43" and a "Because they were taken alive, we want them alive!" slogan written in Spanish in reference to the 43 students that were kidnapped as they were traveling to commemorate the anniversary of the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre. Six other students were killed that night.[2] In 2018, a concrete turtle whose shell contains 43 little turtles and whose limbs bear the names of the students, was built in front of the anti-monument.[3]

Picture Name State Location Date of installation
A giant sculpture that reads "Plus 43". Below, it is written in Spanish "Because they were taken alive, we want them back alive!"
 Antimonumento +43 Mexico City Esquina de la Información, Paseo de la Reforma Avenue, Colonia Centro 26 April 2015
A concrete turtle whose shell contains 43 colorful turtles
 25 September 2018

2009 Hermosillo daycare center fire

The first anti-monument has a 49 and the letters "ABC" in reference to the name of the daycare where the 49 children were killed. The daycare was owned by the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS).[4] Two years later, multiple bronze statues of children's shoes with the names of the victims were placed next to it.[5] In 2020, a second andti-monuemnt features 49 white crosses were installed in front of the Secretariat of the Interior Offices.[6]

Picture Name State Location Date of installation
A giant sculpture that reads "49 ABC". Next to it, the phrase "never again" is written in Spanish.
 Antimonumento 49 ABC Mexico City IMSS Headquarters, Paseo de la Reforma Avenue, Colonia Juárez 5 June 2017
Several bronze sculptures of toddlers's shoes. The phrase "justice" is written in Spanish.
 5 June 2019
49 crosses with the names of the children killed during the fire.
 #JusticiaABC Secretariat of the Interior Offices, Abraham González Street, Colonia Juárez 3 November 2020

Kidnapping of David Ramírez and Miguel Ángel Rivera

David Ramírez and Miguel Ángel Rivera were kidnapped on 5 January 2012. Although the ransom payment was made, both were not returned and their whereabouts or conditions are unknown.[4] The plaque calls for padlocks to be placed as a sign of protest.[7]

Picture Name State Location Date of installation
The figure of a man with an intermediate line dividing two different shades of blue.
 Rescatemos a David y Miguel Mexico City Esquina de la Información, Paseo de la Reforma Avenue, Colonia Juárez 5 January 2018

2006 Pasta de Conchos mine disaster

Erercted to honor the 65 miners that died during the 2006 Pasta de Conchos mine disaster. The main anti-monument features a 65 number that supports a plus symbol. The symbol has written a legend that says "With one voice, rescue now!", as well as the names of all the victims of the collapse.[2] The following year, behind the structure, a cage with 63 helmets with the names of the victims that were not rescued was placed; these are buried with charcoal lumps.[8]

Picture Name State Location Date of installation
A giant sculpture that reads "Plus 65". The plus symbol has the phrase With one voice, rescue now! inscribed.
 Antimonumento +65 Mexico City In front of the Mexican Stock Exchange Building, Paseo de la Reforma Avenue, Colonia Juárez 18 February 2018
Multiple helmets are enclosed and buried by coal rocks
 19 February 2019

1968 Tlatelolco massacre

In honor to the victims of the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre. The anti-monument features a white dove and a plaque that blames the federal government and the Mexican Armed Forces for the massacre.[2]

Picture Name State Location Date of installation
The anti-monument presents a dove soaring, with "1968" written on the bottom, "2 October, it is not forgotten" and "It was the army, it was the state" slogans.
 2 de Octubre Mexico City In the corner of Madero Street and the Zócalo, Colonia Centro 2 October 2018

Violence against women

The first Spanish, an anti-monument installed to demand justice for the victims of gender violence and femicides in the country, was the Antimonumenta in Mexico City. It was placed by mothers and relatives of victims of feminicide, during the march #8M for the 2019 International Women's Day.[9] Since then, multiple Spanish have been installed throughout the country.

Picture Name State Location Date of installation Ref.
A symbol of Venus with a closed fist raised in the center. It has inscribed the phrases "In Mexico, 9 women are murdered every day" and "not a single one more!" in Spanish.
 Antimonumenta Mexico City In front of the Palace of Fine Arts, Juárez Avenue, Colonia Juárez 8 March 2019 [9]
Antimonumenta San Luís Potosí Plaza de Armas, historic center of San Luis Potosí City 27 October 2019 [10][11]
alt:Two crosses, one erect and the other bent. On the first one is written the phrase "My voice will never die", while on the two there are multiple names written.
alt:Two crosses, one erect and the other bent. On the first one is written the phrase "My voice will never die", while on the two there are multiple names written.
 Cruz de Vida Mexico City Paseo de la Reforma and Avenida de los Insurgentes 1 December 2019 [12]
alt:A park with the sculpture of a symbol of Venus surrounded by several crosses.
alt:A park with the sculpture of a symbol of Venus surrounded by several crosses.
 Antimonumenta State of Mexico In front of the municipal palace of Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl 25 November 2019 [13]
A symbol of Venus with a closed fist raised in the center. It has written the phrases "neither forgiving nor forgetting" and "no more femicides" in Spanish.
 Antimonumenta Jalisco Plaza de Armas, Colonia Centro, Guadalajara 25 November 2020 [14]
A red bench with a plaque that reads "In memory of all the women murdered by those who claimed to love them or just because they were women" in Spanish.
 Antimonumenta (Banca Roja) In front of the Rotonda de los Jaliscienses Ilustres, Hidalgo Avenue, Colonia Centro, Guadalajara [15][16]
 Memorial por víctimas de feminicidio Hidalgo Plaza Juárez, Colonia Centro, Pachuca [17]
 Antimonumenta Quintana Roo Chetumal Congress, Colonia Barrio Bravo, Chetumal 30 November 2020 [18]
Antimonumenta Veracruz Parque Apolinar Castillo, Colonia Centro, Orizaba 7 March 2021 [19]
Antimonumenta Port of Veracruz, Colonia Ignacio Zaragoza, Veracruz City 8 March 2021 [20]
 Antimonumenta Michoacán Fuente de las Tarascas, Colonia Centro, Morelia [21]
A sculpture of a woman raising her fist in the air lies on a plinth.
 Glorieta de las mujeres que luchan Mexico City Former Columbus Roundabout, Paseo de la Reforma, Colonia Juárez 25 September 2021 [22]
Antimonumenta Oaxaca Fuente de las 8 Regiones, Colonia Reforma, Oaxaca City 25 November 2021 [23]
 Antimonumenta Yucatán Paseo de Montejo, Mérida [24]
A sculpture covered with memories of people and in the center has a plaque that reads: "Antimonumenta, Alive Monument. Dedicated to all women victims of the machista Nuevo León. 15 May 2022
 Antimonumenta, Monumenta Viva Nuevo León Government Palace of Nuevo León, Monterrey 15 May 2022 [25]
Antimonumenta Durango Colonia Chapala, Gómez Palacio 8 March 2026 [26]

2008 New's Divine fire

To honor the victims killed during the New's Divine fire [es]. It was installed in memory of those killed during the event.[27]

Picture Name State Location Date of installation
Antimonumento del New's Divine In front of National Palace, Zócalo, Centro Mexico City 22 June 2019

Killing of Samir Flores Soberanes

Samir Flores Soberanes opposed the construction of a federal hydroelectric plant in his community. He was killed the day after he attended an assembly and challenged the accuracy of the information being presented, describing the consultation as a simulation and accusing the federal government of promoting a disinformation campaign. One year after his assassination, a bust was placed in the school named after him in the community of Amilcingo, Morelos.[28] The next day, after a related march in Mexico City, a replica of the bust was placed in the Zócalo square.[29]

Picture Name State Location Date of installation
Bronze bust of a man with indigenous features in his 30s.
 Bust of Samir Flores Soberanes Morelos Amilcingo, Temoac Municipality 20 February 2020
Mexico City Zócalo, Colonia Centro 21 February 2020

2010 San Fernando massacre

Erected in honor of the 72 migrants murdered during the 2010 San Fernando massacre. It was installed to remember that migration is a human right.[30][31]

Picture Name State Location Date of installation
A monument that reads as Plus 72. It also has written in Spanish the phrase "Migration is a human right" (Migrating is a human right).
 Antimonumento +72 Mexico City In front of the then-Embassy of the United States Building, Paseo de la Reforma, Colonia Juárez 22 August 2020

1971 Corpus Christi massacre

To honor the victims of the 1971 Corpus Christi massacre. The anti-monument features a red V and phrases that blame the federal government of Mexico for the massacre.[32]

Picture Name State Location Date of installation
A letter V is placed on top of a pedestal. The pedestal has written the phrases "50 years after the state crime", "10 June 1971–2021" and "The struggle continues!" in Spanish.
 Antimonumento a El Halconazo Mexico City Juárez Avenue and Humboldt Street 10 June 2021

Missing persons

Disappearances and missing person cases in Mexico are frequent. The first related anti-monuemnt was installed with the permission of the Puebla City Council, residents placed photographs of several missing persons on trees in the streets of the historic center. The next day, the photographs were removed to place Christmas decorations.[33]

The second anti-monument was the Glorieta de las y los Desaparecidos in Mexico City, installed by collectives that sought to make visible the numbers of missing persons. The anti-monument was removed by the city government but was reinstalled days later.[34]

Picture Name State Location Date of installation
Árbol de la Esperanza Puebla Historic center of Puebla 5 December 2021
A Montezuma cypress surrounded by multiple posters with photos of missing persons.
 Glorieta de las y los Desaparecidos Mexico City Glorieta de la Palma roundabout 8 May 2022

Oppossition to the Mayan Train

To visibilize the impact to the Mayan jungle and its human and animal population, it was installed by environmentalists protesting against the Mayan Train, which passes through several jungle zones. The plaque reads, "Here we put on record that in the name of 'development' and 'progress' the Mayan Train was built, evicting people, extinguishing species, devastating the jungle, and threatening ecosystems. Only you, in the future, will be able to say if it was worth it..."[35]

Picture Name State Location Date of installation
Anti-monument denouncing destructive Maya Train project in Avenida Reforma
 Antimonumento al Tren Maya Mexico City Esquina de la Información, Paseo de la Reforma Avenue, Colonia Centro 23 November 2022

Death of Giovanni López

Giovanni López died while in police custody on 4 or 5 May 2020. A few days later, on 25 May, George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, United States, in similar circumstances sparking national and international protests. López's brother released his arrest video a month later, which caused hundreds of young people to gather in downtown Guadalajara on 5 June. The local government arrested multiple people that day

Police officers arrested and disappeared demonstrators for hours. The original anti-monument was installed adjacent to the Antimonumenta on the third anniversary of what protesters dubbed as "El Halconazo Jaliciense". The sculpture was removed by the government the day it was installed. A month later, protesters created a removable replica.[36]

Picture Name State Location Date of installation
A sculpture depicting a "5J".
 Antimonumento 5J Jalisco Plaza de Armas, Colonia Centro, Guadalajara 5 June 2023
A light sculpture depicting a "5J".
 5 July 2023

Liga Comunista 23 de Septiembre

To honor the eople who were killed or disappeared by the government of Mexico in their struggle to establish a communist government in the country. Placed during the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Liga Comunista 23 de Septiembre.[37]

Picture Name State Location Date of installation
Liga Comunista 23 de Septiembre Jalisco Plaza San Andrés, Colonia San Andrés, Guadalajara 23 September 2023

Transgender visibility

Installed during the International Transgender Day of Visibility, in front of the municipal palace of Aguascalientes City.[38]

Picture Name State Location Date of installation
 Antimonumentx Municipal palace, Colonia Centro, Aguascalientes Aguascalientes 31 March 2024
 31 March 2025

Ecological disaster in Sonora

Installed during the tenth anniversary [es] of a Grupo México mining company dumping 40,000 cubic meters of acidified copper sulfate leachate into the Bacanuchi and Sonora rivers.[39]

Picture Name State Location Date of installation
Antimonumento al desastre de los ríos de Sonora Plaza Emiliana de Zubeldía, Colonia Centro, Hermosillo Sonora 7 August 2024

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