Equestrian statue of Francisco Pizarro

Last updated
Equestrian statue of Francisco Pizarro
Pizarro Buffalo.jpg
Statue in Buffalo NY
Location Buffalo, Trujillo and Lima
Type Equestrian statue
Material Bronze

The Equestrian statue of Francisco Pizarro (Spanish : Estatua ecuestre de Francisco Pizarro) is a series of three bronze equestrian statues of Spanish Conquistador Francisco Pizarro by U.S. sculptor Charles Cary Rumsey. The statues are located in Buffalo (in front of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery), Trujillo (in the Plaza Mayor) and Lima (in the Parque de La Muralla ). The latter two cities are Pizarro's places of birth and death, respectively.

Contents

The statues represent the conquistador Francisco Pizarro mounted on a horse and dressed for fighting with armor and sword. Pizarro is famous for having led the Conquest of Peru in the 16th century and having founded the city of Lima on January 18, 1535, establishing what would become the Viceroyalty of Peru.

Statues

Statue in Buffalo

It was the first of the statues to be made. Cast in Paris in 1910 using the lost wax technique by the French master Marcello Valsuani, caster of works by artists such as Renoir and Picasso. The work measures just under 1.80 m in height and can currently be admired on the front of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, an institution to which it was donated by the artist and his wife. [1]

Statue in Trujillo

The equestrian statue of Francisco Pizarro located in Trujillo, province of Cáceres, was exhibited in the Dome Room of the Grand Palais in Paris in 1927 and later moved to the conqueror's hometown. It was presented on June 2, 1929, in the atrium of the Church of San Martín in the Plaza Mayor, in an event in which the then dictator and president of the government, General Miguel Primo de Rivera and Prince Alfonso de Orleans were present, as well as the then United States ambassador to Spain and the Peruvian minister plenipotentiary, Eduardo S. Leguía. [1] The space for its placement was chosen by the sculptor's widow, who traveled years before, in April 1925, to Spain for this purpose.

Statue in Lima

The statue of Lima was inaugurated on January 18, 1935, on the occasion of the celebration of the fourth centennial of the founding of the city. The sculpture was a donation from the sculptor Rumsey's widow and had arrived from New York City. [1] The statue's original location was the atrium of the Lima Cathedral. [2]

In 1952 it was moved to the Plaza Pizarro, [3] and in 2003 it was relocated to Parque de La Muralla , without the pedestal with which it was inaugurated and that it had throughout its history, being placed on a concrete base. [4] [5]

Historical discrepancies

There are certain elements that make one doubt that the conquistador Pizarro is faithfully represented by the rider of the statue or, at least, that it is a historically correct sculpture. Among these elements are:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francisco Pizarro</span> 16th-century Spanish conquistador who conquered Peru

Francisco Pizarro, Marquess of the Atabillos was a Spanish conquistador, best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lima Metropolitan Cathedral</span> Church in Lima Province, Peru

The Basilica Metropolitan Cathedral of Lima and Primate of Peru, otherwise Lima Metropolitan Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in the Plaza Mayor of downtown Lima, Peru. This third and current Cathedral of Lima was built between 1602 and 1797. It is dedicated to St. John, Apostle and Evangelist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walls of Lima</span> 17th-century fortification in Lima

The Walls of Lima were a fortification consisting mainly of walls and bastions whose purpose was to defend the city of Lima from exterior attacks. It was built between 1684 and 1687, during the Viceroy Melchor de Navarra y Rocafull 's government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alonso de Alvarado</span> Spanish conquistador

Alonso de Alvarado Montaya González de Cevallos y Miranda (1500–1556) was a Spanish conquistador and knight of the Order of Santiago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariano Benlliure</span> Spanish sculptor

Mariano Benlliure y Gil was a Spanish sculptor and medallist, who executed many public monuments and religious sculptures in Spain, working in a heroic realist style.

European Peruvians, also known as White Peruvians, are Peruvians who have predominantly or total European ancestry. Traditionally, this group had been more dominant in the political, commercial, and diplomatic sectors of Peruvian society. According to the most recent 2017 census where ethnic self-identification was used, it makes up about 5.9% of the total population aged 12 years and above of Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jirón de la Unión</span> Street in Lima, Peru

The Jirón de la Unión, or Union Street, is a pedestrian street located in the Historic Centre of Lima, part of the capital of Peru. For many decades it was the most important boulevards of the city, often described as the most aristocratic, where many of the most affluent citizens of the city and most powerful men around the world would meet. Subsequently, with the deterioration of the center of Lima, the Jirón de la Unión lost its aristocratic character and became completely commercialized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza Mayor de Lima</span> Cultural heritage site in Peru

The Plaza Mayor de Lima, or Plaza de Armas de Lima, is considered one of the birthplaces of the city of Lima, as well as the core of the city. Located in the Historic Centre of Lima, it is surrounded by the Government Palace, Lima Metropolitan Cathedral, Archbishop's Palace of Lima, the Municipal Palace, and the Palacio de la Unión.

José Antonio del Busto Duthurburu was a Peruvian historian.

The Historic Centre of Trujillo is the main urban area and the most important center of development and unfolding in the Peruvian city of Trujillo located in La Libertad Region. The whole process of its original urban fabric is in elliptical shape surrounded by España Avenue that was built in the wake of the Wall of Trujillo. It houses the seat of city government and other important entities in the locality. In the center of this historic urban area is the Plaza de Armas of Trujillo that was the scene of the Spanish founded of the city in 1534 and the proclamation of the independence of Trujillo on December 29, 1820.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza de Armas of Trujillo (Peru)</span>

Plaza de Armas of Trujillo is the main square where the Spanish foundation of Trujillo was made, in northern Peru. It has been the principal locus of history in this city in the republic era. It is located in the central zone of the Historic Centre of Trujillo. In the streets that form this main square are located the buildings of Municipality Palace, the Cathedral, among others. The Plaza de Armas of Trujillo is formed by the Pizarro, Independencia, Orbegoso and Almagro streets. In this square, the proclamation of the independence of Trujillo took place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foundation of Trujillo, Peru</span>

The Foundation of Trujillo is an example of Spanish colonial expansion that took place in the area known today as the Valley of Moche in northern Peru. The exact date of Trujillo's foundation is still in dispute; according to historian Napoleón Cieza Burga it is November 1534.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monument to Manco Cápac</span> Monument in La Victoria, Peru

The Monument to Manco Cápac is a statue located in the homonymous square in La Victoria District, Lima, the work of the Peruvian sculptor David Lozano, inaugurated in 1926.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Liberty (Peru)</span> Monument in Lima, Peru

The Statue of Liberty is a bronze sculpture located in the Plaza Francia of the historic centre of Lima, Peru. It was made in 1926 according to the design of the French sculptor René Bertrand-Boutée and cast by Eugène Soleau. It is a one-piece bronze sculpture about 2 metres high and represents a standing female figure, dressed in a light tunic and with a laurel wreath on her head. This is installed on a 4.30 m high pedestal. The sculpture and the Plaza Francia were declared a monumental urban environment in 1972. In 2018, La Libertad was declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casa Alcántara</span> Former building in Lima, Peru

The Casa de Alcántara was a 16th-century building in the Historic Centre of Lima. It was demolished in 1952 and replaced by the Plaza Pizarro.

<i>Plaza Perú</i> (Lima) Cultural heritage site in Peru

Peru Square, formerly known as Francisco Pizarro Square, is a public square located in central Lima, Peru.

The Park of the Wall is a public park located in the central district of Lima, Peru. It was inaugurated in 2004. Within its extension is part of the former Walls of Lima. The park is located between the Rímac River and the historic centre of Lima.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monument to Chabuca Granda</span> Monument in Peru

The Monument to Chabuca Granda is a monument made up by a pair of stone statues located at the Plazuela Chabuca Granda in Barranco District dedicated to Peruvian singer-songwriter Chabuca Granda. Next to Granda's statue is an equestrian statue of José Antonio de Lavalle y García, the subject of Granda's song José Antonio.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Varón Gabai, Rafael. "La estatua de Francisco Pizarro en Lima. Historia e identidad nacional". Revista de Indias. 66 (236): 217–236. doi: 10.3989/revindias.2006.i236.367 . ISSN   0034-8341.
  2. Cáceda, Mónica (2003-05-02). "El enemigo de Pizarro". Peru.com. Archived from the original on 2007-07-10. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
  3. Hess, Peter (2013-05-17). "Pizarro in Exile". Cultures Contexts. University of Texas.
  4. "Francisco Pizarro cabalga hacia el olvido en Lima, la ciudad que fundó". RPP Noticias . 2017-01-18.
  5. Fernández Arribasplata, María (2011-01-17). "Las movidas de don Francisco". El Comercio .