Judge orders City of Santa Fe to restore soldiers’ monument

SANTA FE, N.M. — A judge with the First Judicial District Court ordered the City of Santa Fe to restore the controversial soldiers’ monument in the plaza.

Judge Matthew Wilson ordered the city to restore the monument within 30 days – and restore it to pre-2020 condition within 180 days.

The soldiers’ monument, also known as the obelisk, was built to honor U.S. Civil War soldiers who fought for the Union. However, it contained a quote honoring the “heroes who have fallen in the various battles with savage Indians.”

The quote drew the ire of protesters who tore it down in 2020. After this, the city placed a box around the remains as the city – and the community at-large – debated what to do next.

The Union Protectiva de Santa Fe, a Hispanic heritage organization, took the city to court earlier this year, arguing the city violated the state Prehistoric and Historic Sites Preservation Act by using public funds to set up a box, shrubs and a sign around the soldiers’ monument without proper approval. The organization argued the law applies to the monument because it is an “integral part of the aesthetic, character and history” of the Santa Fe Plaza and the District, which are both significant historic sites.

Judge Wilson agreed.

“The Soldiers’ Monument is an inextricably interconnected component of both the Plaza and the District. As such, the Court finds and concludes that the Prehistoric and Historic Sites Preservation Act and related regulations apply to the Soldier’s Monument,” the judge wrote in his ruling.

However, the judge ruled these protections don’t apply to the Diego de Vargas statue and the Kit Carson Obelisk.

“The Court finds and concludes that Plaintiff [the organization] has failed to establish the de Vargas Statue and the Kit Carson Obelisk are inextricably interconnected components of or integral to the Plaza or the District. Therefore, the Court does not grant any relief or offer further analysis with respect to either the de Vargas Statue or the Kit Carson Obelisk,” the judge wrote.

The Kit Carson Obelisk was toppled in 2023. The Diego de Vargas statue recently found a new home by the New Mexico History Museum and the Palace of the Governors, adjacent to the plaza.

With the ruling, the city must do the following to the soldiers’ monument within 30 days:

• Deconstruct and remove the box
• Remove the sign
• Remove any shrubs or other obstructions

Then, the city must restore the monument to pre-2020 condition or “otherwise comply with preservation laws to ensure proper maintenance” within 180 days.