Santa Fe City Council to vote on moving obelisk to national cemetery

SANTA FE, N.M. — The Santa Fe City Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a resolution to potentially move a controversial monument from the plaza.

Councilors are exploring the possibility of moving the obelisk to the Santa Fe National Cemetery. They first discussed this resolution in February 2023.

The obelisk was completed in 1868 to honor Union soldiers. However, the monument contains a quote specifically honoring “the heroes who have fallen in the various battles with savage Indians.”

Protesters toppled the obelisk on Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2020.

If councilors pass the proposal, the city manager would still need approval from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. The department determines whether or not the monument will stand at the national cemetery.