Columbus Monument in La Paz

In August 2021, a group of Indigenous activists from La Paz climbed the Columbus statue in an attempt to tear it down. Although the statue still stands, protesters painted his face black and hammered off his nose. The National Police responded quickly and took five of them into custody. The statue, located in the heart of the city, was a gift from the Italian Bolivian community in 1925, on the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. This is not the first time the statue has been targeted. However, after this last attempt, it was surrounded by a metal wire fence while the City Council decided what to do with it. This case study analyses how Columbus’s contestations have evolved in Bolivia, particularly with the emergence of Indigenous movements.