A statue of Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León was torn down in Puerto Rico early on Monday, hours before a visit from the King of Spain, Felipe VI. It is not known who toppled the statue.
‘They have no right’
“With all the right they have to have the idea they have about Juan Ponce de León, it does not give them the right to attack heritage like this and more so in a city like San Juan, which must be preserved by the Puerto Rican people, with all its architectural elements and monuments that form part of a unique ensemble in America”, complained Raúl García, the person in charge of decoration at the town hall.
The figure is made of cast steel and showed the Spanish explorer facing south with his left hand on his hip and his right finger pointing toward the first settlement he founded and the nearby Cathedral of San Juan Bautista, which houses his remains and is a landmark. very popular tourist place.
‘Village heritage’
“It is a heritage of the people of Puerto Rico, it is an emblematic statue placed here since the 19th century, and it is important that it can be placed in the same place where it has been in recent years,” said Luis Moisés Pérez, director of the Museum of San Juan.
This act of vandalism occurred hours before King Felipe VI met with the governor of Puerto Rico and other authorities to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the founding of the capital of this US free associated state.
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