''Po'pay'' is a statue of Po’pay (also known as Popé), a Tewa and one of the

Pueblo In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...

leaders during the

Pueblo Revolt The Pueblo Revolt of 1680, also known as Popé's Rebellion or Popay's Rebellion, was an uprising of most of the indigenous Pueblo people against the Spanish colonizers in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, larger than present-day New Mex ...

against the Spanish in 1680. The statue was carved by

Cliff Fragua Cliff Fragua (born 1955) is a Jemez Pueblo sculptor and stone carver. He is the only Native American sculptor to have a work installed in Statuary Hall of the United States Capitol; it is the second of works representing New Mexico and the 100t ...

, a sculptor from

Jemez Pueblo Jemez Pueblo (/ˈhɛmɛz/; tow, Walatowa, nv, Mąʼii Deeshgiizh) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,788 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statis ...

, out of a solid block of

Tennessee marble Tennessee marble is a type of crystalline limestone found only in East Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Long esteemed by architects and builders for its pinkish-gray color and the ease with which it is polished, this stone has been u ...

. New Mexico was the last state to place its second statue in the

National Statuary Hall Collection The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is composed of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. Limited to two statues per state, the collection was originally set up in the old ...

, making it the 100th statue placed there. Po'pay was the twentieth military leader, the twelfth religious leader, and joined six other Native Americans in the Collection.

History

In 1997, New Mexico Senate Bill 404 was introduced by Rep.

Manny Aragon Manny M. Aragon (born March 22, 1947) is a former New Mexico State Senator. Life Manny M. Aragon was born to Charlotte and Mel Aragon. Career Aragon served in the New Mexico Senate from 1975 to 2004 as a Democrat representing the Valencia and Be ...

(D-Bernalillo) and

Nick Salazar Nick L. Salazar (April 18, 1929 – October 23, 2020) was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, representing the 40th District from 1974 to 2019. Early life and education Born in S ...

(D-Rio Arriba), which nominated Po’Pay to fill the second New Mexico spot in the Hall. The bill was passed and signed into law by Governor Gary E. Johnson. A Statuary Hall Commission was then established whose purpose was to select a sculptor and to raise funds. Fragua was selected as the sculptor.Sando, Joe S. and Herman Agoyo, with contributions by Theodore S. Jojola, Robert Mirabal, Alfoonso Ortiz, Simon J. Ortiz and Joseph H. Suina, foreword by Bill Richardson, ''Po’Pay: Leader of the First American Revolution'', Clear Light Publishing, Santa Fe, Ne Mexico, 2005 pp128-132 Carved by Fragua in his studio at

over three years, the statue had its first public showing at

Ohkay Owingeh Ohkay Owingeh ( Tewa: Ohkwee Ówîngeh ), known by its Spanish name as San Juan de los Caballeros from 1589 to 2005, is a pueblo and census-designated place (CDP) in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. Ohkay Owingeh is also a federally recognized tribe ...

pueblo on May 21, 2005, where Po'pay was from. There the statue was blessed before it was allowed to continue on the Washington, D.C., where it was unveiled in the

Capitol rotunda The United States Capitol rotunda is the tall central rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. It has been described as the Capitol's "symbolic and physical heart". Built between 1818 and 1824, the rotunda is located below the ...

on September 22, 2005.

References

External links

* {{National Statuary Hall Collection 2005 establishments in Washington, D.C. 2005 sculptures Marble sculptures in Washington, D.C. Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. Po'pay Sculptures of men in Washington, D.C. Sculptures of Native Americans in Washington, D.C.

History

See also

References

External links