Catua and Omtua Statue on Public Display

SANTA FE-Residents and visitors can now view the Catua and Omtua statue at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center. A plaque explaining the statue's significance is also on display:

Catua and Omtua are two messengers from the Pueblo of Tesuque (Taytsugeh Oweengeh), who ran more than 50 miles to surrounding pueblos with a knotted rope that allowed the pueblos to coordinate their countdown of the days to a planned, joint uprising. Their capture and execution by Spanish authorities led, in part, to the start of the Great Pueblo Revolt on August 10, 1680, which has been called "the first American Revolution." Pueblos in the area united to resist enslavement and ensure their survival.

This sculpture is sited upon the ancient settlement of Oga P'o Geh, the ancestral home of the Taystugeh Oweengeh. Today, Taytsugeh Oweengeh and the City of Santa Fe continue to share history and to celebrate the cultural richness of New Mexico.

This statue stands in honor of Catua and Omtua and to acknowledge that the Pueblo of Tesuque people are direct descendants of Oga P'o Geh.

Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber said, "This statue memorializes another important event in the unique and powerful history of Northern New Mexico. Only once in the history of this country did the Native Americans succeed in sending the Europeans out, and this statue recognizes that historical moment. Like the statue of Don Diego de Vargas, this sculpture represents an opportunity for more learning, history, dialogue, and mutual understanding."

Local artist George Rivera created the 60"x72"x80" statue out of bronze. Rivera said, "I feel like I'm the luckiest guy in the world when I get to work on a project like this…It's a very important time in history for the Pueblo people and New Mexico in general, as far as history being told. It's really about the relationship between Tesuque and Santa Fe. This will make people more curious and ask what the runners are about. It is about storytelling and the respect the two governments have for each other."

The Catua and Omtua Statue can be viewed during regular business hours at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, Monday through Friday, 8:30 am-5:30pm.