How a Group of Mothers Created Mexico City’s Roundabout of Women Who Fight

ByWendy Vega

This article by Wendy Vega appeared in the March 5, 2026 edition of El Sol de México.

As a symbol of the resilience of thousands of women who share the loss of missing relatives or who have been victims of femicide, the Glorieta de las Mujeres que Luchan (Roundabout of Women Who Fight) has become the stage for a struggle that is, unfortunately, never-ending.

Previously, a monument honoring the Genoese navigator Christopher Columbus stood on Paseo de la Reforma. However, after a series of protests against this figure, who has been accused of initiating a genocide against Indigenous peoples, the Mexico City government decided in 2021 to remove the more than 144-year-old statue.

With the removal of the Columbus statue, the space in the roundabout on Reforma was appropriated by different groups who sought to redefine the roundabout to give their struggle a place where they could express themselves without fear of being repressed by the authorities, as well as share with other people who are also facing difficult times.

The Glorieta de las Mujeres que Luchan (Roundabout of Women Who Fight) began to be a meeting point for activist and feminist groups who day after day seek justice for their missing relatives and the hundreds of women who have been victims of sexual violence and femicides.

Thanks to this reappropriation of the roundabout, the Broad Front of Women Who Fight was born, which named the space as it is now known.

In addition to its new name, a statue of a woman with her left fist raised was installed at the site, as a symbol of the struggle of all members of feminist collectives and searching mothers, as well as a recognition of their resistance within their struggle.

The statue now installed is known as the Antimonumenta and is surrounded by hundreds of names of women who have been victims of violence, abuse, femicide, and social activists who have died or were murdered during their struggle for justice.

The Anti-monument on Avenida Reforma is a critical meeting spot and site in Mexico City for political action.

Wendy Vega is a writer and photojournalist, graduated from UNAM.