The statue was carved by Cliff Fragua, a sculptor from Jemez Pueblo, out of a solid block of Tennessee marble.

[2] 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.

[4] There the statue was blessed before it was allowed to continue on the Washington, D.C., where it was unveiled in the Capitol rotunda on September 22, 2005.