http://www.kdbc.com/news/local/7135896.html

Controversial Statue Unveiled

The legacy of Don Juan de Onate stirs up controversy once again.

After waiting nearly ten years, the Equestrian finally gets its officially
welcoming, but not without protest.

Hundreds gathered at the El Paso International Airport. Some welcomed the
Conquistador with open arms. Others held up signs, calling shame upon the
city for honoring who they call "a butcher."

It's been four years since the 36-foot statue was robbed of his name and
denounced "The Equestrian."

It's been 400 years since Don Juan de Onate, the man who now sits atop the
bronze horse, was engraved in history.

The controversy of the statue surrounds Onate's past. History states,
Onate killed and raped indigenous people. He also cut off the foot of men
from the Acoma Tribe. Those in protest, say they are the ancestors of the
people who endured Onate's brutal beatings and killings. They say, Onate
is nothing more than a murder and should not be honored.

Others say history is filled with murder and the past was filled hard
times. They say Onate's past is El Paso's past and history should be told
so we don't forget. They say, when people forget the past, that is when
history will repeat it self.

Non-the-less, the $1.3 million dollar statue will reside at the airport's
entrance for all to see.

Whether it be stories of bravery or butchery, the history of Onate is
preserved in bronze.

Saturday's events add another day in History for the man, some say found
the passage to the north, that others say, the people who lived on this
land first, showed him the way.