Statue of Christopher Columbus (Lima)

The Monument to Christopher Columbus is a 10-feet-high statue by Salvatore Revelli dedicated to Christopher Columbus, located in the central pedestrian path of the second block of Paseo Colón, a street of the Historic Centre of Lima, Peru. Originally inaugurated in 1860 in what is now Rímac District, it was eventually moved to its current location in 1906.
As of 2025, the statues of the street, including that of Columbus, are currently located at the Park of the Exhibition due to the ongoing underground construction works for Line 2 of the Lima and Callao Metro, which started in July 2024.

History

The statue is the work of Italian artist Salvatore Revelli, and built with Carrara marble. It was originally located at the Alameda de Acho, where it was inaugurated on August 3, 1860, during a ceremony that featured the city's prefect, mayor, police intendant and Mariano Felipe Paz Soldán, the director of the city's penitentiary who was in charge of the statue's placement. Also present was president Ramón Castilla.
Due to the chaos then rampant in the area north of the Rímac River, the statue was damaged and plundered several times. Additionally, the construction of Balta Bridge meant the end of the oval park where it was located, which led to its move to the middle of the Plazuela de la Exposición in 1873, also named after the navigator, in 1901. It was vandalised in 2016, and eventually underwent renovation efforts by PROLIMA in 2020.