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Francisco Pizarro Equestrian Statue

The Francisco Pizarro equestrian statue is a monument by American artist Charles Cary Rumsey, donated to Lima by his widow Mary Harriman. It was inaugurated on 18 January 1935 for the city’s 400th anniversary and originally installed in the atrium of Lima Cathedral. Due to objections from the archdiocese, it was moved in 1952 to Plaza Pizarro, then removed in 2003 and relocated in 2004 to the Parque de la Muralla. In December 2024, the Municipality of Lima announced its return to the historic center, where it was to be placed in Pasaje Santa Rosa between the Plaza Mayor and the Municipal Palace, beside the monument to Taulichusco.

Francisco Pizarro equestrian statue mounted on a tall stone pedestal, with a floral wreath at its base.
The Francisco Pizarro equestrian statue in Lima, shown on its pedestal with a wreath at the base.
January 2025 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Francisco Pizarro equestrian statue on a stone pedestal, surrounded by floral wreaths and metal barricades in Lima.
The Francisco Pizarro equestrian statue stands on a stone pedestal in Lima, surrounded by wreaths and barricades.
January 2025 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Francisco Pizarro equestrian statue on a stone pedestal in a park with trees and garden beds.
Francisco Pizarro’s equestrian statue stands on a large stone pedestal in a park setting surrounded by trees.
1970 © Diario Extra · Public domain
Francisco Pizarro statue pedestal with a plaque, surrounded by wreaths and floral displays in front of a yellow building.
The Francisco Pizarro monument stands in front of a yellow building, with wreaths and floral arrangements placed at its base.
January 2025 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Francisco Pizarro Equestrian Statue covered with a white sheet on a stone base in a public plaza.
The Francisco Pizarro Equestrian Statue is covered with a white sheet in a public plaza.
January 2025 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleMonument to Francisco Pizarro
TypeEquestrian statue
Alternative titleEquestrian statue of Francisco Pizarro

Iconography and meaning

SubjectFrancisco Pizarro

Creator

SculptorCharles Cary Rumsey
Artist nationalityAmerican
Casting foundryE. Gargani

Discovery and provenance

Made inNew York
Transported fromNew York to Lima
DonorMary Harriman, widow of Charles Rumsey
Donated toThe city of Lima

Historical context

Inauguration occasion400th anniversary of the founding of Lima
Inauguration praiseThen-mayor Luis Gallo Porras praised it as the "clear figure of the hero and the civilizer"
Historical contextRecovery of the Historic Centre of Lima
Inaugurated in Lima18 January 1935
Dedicated toThe founding of Lima by Francisco Pizarro on 18 January 1535

Location and ownership

Square renamedPlaza Perú
Responsible officePROLIMA (Management of Planning, Management and Recovery of Lima's Historic Center)
Shared location withMonument to the curaca Taulichusco
Purpose of planned placementAs a tribute and recognition of the mestizo character and the Hispanic reality of Peruvian identity
Announcement dateDecember 2024
Announced return toSanta Rosa Passage, between the Plaza Mayor and the Municipal Palace
Time at Parque de la MurallaAbout two decades
Reinstalled in2004
Reinstalled atParque de la Muralla
Relocation reasonComplaints from the new archbishop of Lima, Cardinal Juan Landázuri Ricketts, and resistance from the Archdiocese of Lima, which opposed its presence in front of the cathedral because it diminished the visibility of the Mother Church of Peru
Removed byMayor Luis Castañeda Lossio
Removed in28 April 2003
Removed fromPizarro Square
President of Peru during relocationGeneral of the Army Manuel Arturo Odría Amoretti
Municipal government during relocationLuis Dibós
Relocated in1952
Relocated toPizarro Square, at the intersection of Jirón de la Unión and Jirón Conde de Superunda, on the left side of the Government Palace and next to the Municipal Palace of Lima, in a corner of Lima's Plaza Mayor
Original locationAtrium of the Cathedral of Lima

History and restoration

Square after removalThe square was remodeled and a fountain and a Peruvian flagpole were installed
Proposed removal from Plaza MayorSince 1997, during the administration of Alberto Andrade Carmona, initiatives were made but not completed to remove the monument from the vicinity of the Plaza Mayor
Official return inaugurationPresided over by Lima mayor Rafael López Aliaga and Community of Madrid president Isabel Díaz Ayuso
Isabel Díaz Ayuso roleShe traveled to Lima as part of the Spanish delegation, composed of diplomats and descendants of Pizarro

Physical characteristics

Pedestal status after reinstallationReinstalled without the pedestal used at its inauguration and much of its history; placed on a concrete base