Anti-monuments in Mexico

They are installed to recall a tragic event or to maintain the claim for justice to which governments have failed to provide a satisfactory response in the eyes of the complainant.

Apart from their aesthetic appearance, anti-monuments are "artifacts charged with affection" that, with their subversive activities in the public space, tend to reinstate its communitarian sense.

[1] For Eunice Hernández, a cultural facilitator, their location is key to prevent the issue from fading into oblivion, since those spaces are emblematic and represent a hegemonic power.

For philosopher Irene Tello Arista, these actions represent an absence of political commitment to change the situation that originated them.

It was installed on Juárez Avenue, in front of the Palace of Fine Arts in downtown Mexico City during the annual march of women protesting against gender violence.

'Was MORENA') was a temporary political stunt installed by members of the National Action Party (PAN) on the eve of the first anniversary of the Mexico City Metro overpass collapse, where 26 people died.

The politicians described it as an antimonumento and they blamed the National Regeneration Movement Party (MORENA) for the collapse and the lack of justice surrounding the investigations.

Anti-monument in honor of the 49 children who were killed during the 2009 Hermosillo daycare center fire . The phrase " Never again " is written in Spanish.
A nail cross placed in Chihuahua , Chihuahua , in memory of the victims of femicide during the 1990s and 2000s . Rosa Salazar considers similar protests as a precursor of the anti-monuments. [ 6 ]
The Antimonumenta in the historic center of Mexico City
A giant sculpture that reads "Plus 43". Below, it is written in Spanish "Because they were taken alive, we want them back alive!"
A concrete turtle whose shell contains 43 colorful turtles
A giant sculpture that reads "49 ABC". Next to it, the phrase "never again" is written in Spanish.
Several bronze sculptures of toddlers's shoes. The phrase "justice" is written in Spanish.
49 crosses with the names of the children killed during the fire.
The figure of a man with an intermediate line dividing two different shades of blue.
A giant sculpture that reads "Plus 65". The plus symbol has the phrase With one voice, rescue now! inscribed.
Multiple helmets are enclosed and buried by coal rocks
The anti-monument presents a dove soaring, with "1968" written on the bottom, "2 October, it is not forgotten" and "It was the army, it was the state" slogans.
A symbol of Venus with a closed fist raised in the center. It has inscribed the phrases "In Mexico, 9 women are murdered every day" and "not a single one more!" in Spanish.
alt:Two crosses, one erect and the other bent. On the first one is written the phrase "My voice will never die", while on the two there are multiple names written.
alt:Two crosses, one erect and the other bent. On the first one is written the phrase "My voice will never die", while on the two there are multiple names written.
alt:A park with the sculpture of a symbol of Venus surrounded by several crosses.
alt:A park with the sculpture of a symbol of Venus surrounded by several crosses.
A symbol of Venus with a closed fist raised in the center. It has written the phrases "neither forgiving nor forgetting" and "no more femicides" in Spanish.
A red bench with a plaque that reads "In memory of all the women murdered by those who claimed to love them or just because they were women" in Spanish.
A sculpture of a woman raising her fist in the air lies on a plinth.
A sculpture covered with memories of people and in the center has a plaque that reads: "Antimonumenta, Alive Monument. Dedicated to all women victims of the machista Nuevo León. 15 May 2022
Bronze bust of a man with indigenous features in his 30s.
A letter V is placed on top of a pedestal. The pedestal has written the phrases "50 years after the state crime", "10 June 1971–2021" and "The struggle continues!" in Spanish.
A monument that reads as Plus 72. It also has written in Spanish the phrase "Migration is a human right" (Migrating is a human right).
A Montezuma cypress surrounded by multiple posters with photos of missing persons.
Anti-monument denouncing destructive Maya Train project in Avenida Reforma
A sculpture depicting a "5J".
The sculpture a few hours after the installation. El Caballito can be seen in the background.