The City of Santa Rosa, New Mexico, last week rescinded an August decision to place an Our Lady of Guadalupe statue on city-owned land in the downtown area.
According to reporting by The Communicator (print only) in Santa Rosa, the council reconsidered after the American Civil Liberties Union argued the statue would violate the state and U.S. constitutions regarding the separation of church and state.
Herman and Anna Baca also withdrew their request to place the privately funded statue in the downtown area, next to Route 66.
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“We want to build … a solemn and beautiful tribute to Guadalupe. We do not want donor money or City money to be expended on unnecessary legal fees,” the Bacas wrote in their letter to the city. “Thus, after much thought, we have decided to withdraw our request to place Our Lady of Guadalupe in the downtown plaza.”
That statement in the letter was preceded with a paragraph reiterating the Bacas’ position that the Our Lady of Guadalupe statue is historically relevant to the county as its namesake, adding that “she is the steadying hand that we all share in our daily lives.”
The Bacas introduced their idea publicly in 2022, after donating to the city a portrait of St. Rose — which now hangs prominently in the foyer at the Rita F. Sanchez City/County Government Complex, aka “city hall.”
The Bacas held two public meetings about the statue and its placement on city property, drawing mixed reactions from those who felt it would violate “the separation of church and state” and others who felt it would highlight the community’s history and draw more people downtown.
During the August decision, the city council initially tied in its vote to allow the statue, with Mayor Nelson Kotiar casting the tiebreaker.
Though Santa Rosa historically is a strongly Catholic community, the statue was not particularly popular with residents. primarily for separation-of-church-and-state reasons.
Supporters of the statue said it would help boost tourism, including from Route 66 travelers. They also cited the historic link of Our Lady of Guadalupe that inspired the naming of Guadalupe County, of which Santa Rosa is the county seat.
Our Lady of Guadalupe is a Catholic title of Mary, mother of Jesus, associated with five apparitions to a Mexican peasant named Juan Diego and his uncle, Juan Bernardino that are believed to have occurred in December 1531.
(Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on a candle by Timothy Tolle via Flickr)