"The Equestrian" - El Paso International Airport
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KJKlock
N 31° 47.768 W 106° 23.748
13R E 367862 N 3518687
The world's largest bronze equestrian statue - located near the El Paso International Airport.
Waymark Code: WM7K1B
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 11/02/2009
Views: 13
The world's largest bronze equestrian statue was bolted into place on October 23, 2006 at the entrance to El Paso, Texas's international airport. It stands 36 feet tall on an eight-foot base, and is the second-tallest statue in Texas, overshadowed only by a titanic Sam Houston in Huntsville.
The statue, first proposed in the mid-1990s, is of a horse-riding Spanish conquistador named Don Juan de Oñate. It initially drew approval from city officials because Oñate was known for celebrating the first Thanksgiving in The New World, near present-day El Paso, a good twenty years before the Pilgrims did the same in New England. As the project dragged on, however, Oñate's legacy grew spottier. It turned out that he was known for other things, too, such as taking local Indians who didn't obey his rules (like celebrating Thanksgiving) and having their feet cut off.
In 2003, with construction already underway, the statue's name was changed as a compromise. It became the generic "The Equestrian," even though it was still a statue of Don Juan de Oñate. Its official dedication took place on April 21, 2007.
Directions: I-10 exit 25, then north on Airway Blvd a little over one mile to El Paso International Airport. The statue stands beside the entry road.
Identity of Rider: Don Juan de Oñate
Identity of Horse: I don't think it has a name.
Name of artist: John Sherrill Houser (and Ethan Taliesin Houser)
Date of Dedication: April 21, 2007
Material: Bronze
Unusual Features: This is the largest Equestrian Bronze in the World
Position: Two Hooves Raised
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