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Antimonumenta

Antimonumenta was installed on Paseo de Montejo in Mérida, Yucatán, on 25 November 2021, during the annual march marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The installation was organized by six feminist collectives and inspired by similar protest sculptures in other Mexican cities. After discussions over several possible sites, it was placed at the end of Paseo de Montejo for greater visibility, especially in relation to gender-based violence, racism, discrimination, and other forms of violence. Before the unveiling, hundreds of women marched in protest, and the sculpture was inaugurated by mothers of victims and survivors of violence.

Antimonumenta sculpture in purple, shaped like the Venus symbol with an upright fist on a concrete base.
Antimonumenta stands on a concrete base, rendered in purple with a Venus symbol shape and an upright fist.
December 2021 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Close-up of the Antimonumenta base with the phrase \
Detail of the Antimonumenta base showing the carved slogan \"NI UNA MENOS.\"
December 2021 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Close-up of the Antimonumenta showing the carved words “TODAS SOMOS UNA” on a weathered concrete panel.
Detail of the Antimonumenta in Mérida with the phrase “TODAS SOMOS UNA” carved into its base.
December 2021 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Close-up of the Antimonumenta base with recessed Spanish text reading “Por las madres víctimas de feminicidio.”
Detail of the Antimonumenta base showing the inscription “Por las madres víctimas de feminicidio.”
December 2021 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Raised letters on the Antimonumenta read \
Detail of the Antimonumenta in Mérida showing the inscription “Cambiando la historia juntas.”
December 2021 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TypeAnti-monument protest sculpture
TitleAntimonumenta

Historical context

Installation date25 November 2021
Date significanceInternational Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
Movement contextFeminist activism and protests against violence against women in Yucatán

Creator

DesignerLa Coyota (artist Herrera)

Discovery and provenance

Reason for municipal permissionTo avoid attacks or dismantling, as had happened with other antimonuments in Mexico
People present at unveilingSurvivors of different forms of violence
Unveiled byLigia Canto Lugo and Lizbeth Martín Esquiliano, mothers of women who suffered violence in Yucatán
Final installation siteRemate de Paseo de Montejo, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, in front of the Monument to the Montejo family
Women at unveilingBetween 100 and 300 women participated in a protest march before the unveiling
Reason for other location optionsAn INAH permit would have been required for installation in Parque de la Mejorada
Reason for original proposed locationIt was linked to the historical participation of women in Yucatán, including the Central School for Girls, La Siempreviva school, and the First Feminist Congress of Yucatán
Alternative proposed locationsAvenida Prolongación Montejo; Parque de las Américas; a park in the south of the city
Original proposed locationParque de la Mejorada, Mérida, Yucatán
Commissioned bySix feminist collectives

History and restoration

Pre-unveiling actionsAn open-microphone activity was held to denounce abusers; a minute of silence was observed for women victims of violence in Yucatán; red, green, and purple paint markings were made with slogans, names of femicide victims, and names of abusers
Subsequent useServed as a meeting point for a demonstration on 20 January 2022 and for mobilizations on International Women's Day in 2023
Later protestIn 2025, activists installed a clothesline to denounce child support debtors

Physical characteristics

BaseConcrete base
FormVenus symbol with a raised fist at its center
Height1.60 m

Materials

MaterialSteel
ColorPink-purple

Appearance

Base inscriptionsFour engraved slogans, one on each face
InscriptionsPor las madres víctimas de feminicidio; Todas somos una; Cambiando la historia juntas; Ni una menos

Iconography and meaning

PurposeTo make visible violence against women, gender violence, racism, discrimination, and other forms of violence, and the lack of justice and proper procedures by authorities when women are victims
DedicationNot dedicated to a specific event; dedicated to the lack of justice in cases of femicide, sexual abuse, gender discrimination, and other forms of violence against women
InterpretationA feminist anti-monument that opposes institutional monuments centered on male historical narratives and makes visible the absence and violence experienced by women
Associated themesGender-based violence against women; racism; discrimination; feminism; women’s historical participation in Yucatán

Significance

Commemorated women78 women killed in Yucatán between 2008 and 2021; only four of those deaths were investigated and classified as femicides by the State Attorney General's Office