''Po'pay'' is a statue of Po’pay (also known as Popé), a

Tewa The Tewa are a linguistic group of Pueblo people, Pueblo Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans who speak the Tewa language and share the Pueblo culture. Their homelands are on or near the Rio Grande in New Mexico north of San ...

and one of the

Pueblo Pueblo refers to the settlements of the Pueblo peoples, Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, currently in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. The permanent communities, including some of the oldest continually occupied settlement ...

leaders during the

Pueblo Revolt The Pueblo Revolt of 1680, also known as Popé, Popé's Rebellion or Po'pay's Rebellion, was an uprising of most of the Indigenous Pueblo people against the Spanish Empire, Spanish colonizers in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, larger t ...

against the Spanish in 1680. The statue was carved by Cliff Fragua, a sculptor from

Jemez Pueblo Jemez Pueblo (/ˈhɛmɛz/; , ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,963 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area. The CDP is named after ...

, 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, the stone has been use ...

. 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 Hal ...

, 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 (D-Bernalillo) and Nick Salazar (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. Carved by Fragua in his studio at

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

Ohkay Owingeh Ohkay Owingeh (, ), known by its Spanish name as San Juan Pueblo from 1598 to 2005, is a pueblo in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined that community as a census-designated p ...

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 building features a central rotunda below the Capitol dome. Built between 1818 and 1824, the rotunda has been described as the Capitol's "symbolic and physical heart". The rotunda is connected by corridors leading so ...

on September 22, 2005. File:Popé blessing.jpg, Blessing the statue at

. File:Unveiling of statue at Ohkay Owingeh pueblo.jpg, Unveiling of statue at Ohkay Owingeh pueblo File:Popé scars.jpg, scars on statue

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