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Rescatemos a David y Miguel

Rescatemos a David y Miguel[a] is an antimonumento (anti-monument) installed on Paseo de la Reforma Avenue in the Cuauhtémoc borough of Mexico City. The work included the installation of the figure of a bi-color male on a plinth. It is dedicated to David Ramírez and Miguel Ángel Rivera, two men who were kidnapped on 5 January 2012 when they were traveling to Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, Guerrero. Despite the ransom being paid, neither was returned, and their whereabouts remain unknown. The artwork was installed at the Esquina de la Información intersection, opposite the Antimonumento +43 on 5 January 2018. The sides of the base include brackets designed for attaching padlocks, used as a form of protest.

Background

David Ramírez Valenzuela González and Miguel Ángel Rivera Díaz, two young adults, were traveling from Mexico City to Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, on 5 January 2012, to celebrate Rivera's 20th birthday. According to Lourdes, one of Ramírez's sisters, they were traveling along Mexican Federal Highway 134, a route known for its high crime rate. During the journey, while passing through Ciudad Altamirano, Guerrero, they were stopped by men dressed as police officers. Rivera texted a friend, asking him to contact Ramírez's mother because he was being restrained and forced into a vehicle. Deborah, another of Ramírez's sisters, called his phone repeatedly. When someone eventually answered, she asked if she was speaking with a police officer, but the person on the line informed her that Ramírez had been kidnapped.[1][2][3]

The families of Ramírez and Rivera contacted the police, who assigned them a negotiator. Communication with the kidnappers lasted for two days. On the third day, the kidnappers specified the location for the ransom delivery. A relative of Rivera met with individuals dressed in military uniforms at the agreed-upon location and handed over the payment. When he inquired about the whereabouts of Ramírez and Rivera, the kidnapper told him to leave the area and wait for them a few meters ahead. After waiting for four hours, the police informed them that such exchanges could take up to two weeks.[1] According to Ramírez's family, they were able to identify some of the kidnappers by tracking the GPS signal from his cellphone. However, the authorities have refused to pursue further investigations. Ramírez and Rivera remain officially missing, and their whereabouts and conditions remain unknown.[1][4]

History and installation

The sculpture facing one side with multiple locks.
The anti-monument in 2019 with multiple padlocks

During the afternoon of 5 January 2018, family and friends of the victims installed a sculpture approximately 3 m (9.8 ft) tall depicting a male figure split in half, rendered in two shades of blue.[5][6]: 136  The sculpture was placed at the Esquina de la Información intersection on Paseo de la Reforma, across from the Antimonumento +43 memorial.[7] It was financed by Ramírez's mother, Lourdes González, and erected without official authorization.[4] González stated that she had petitioned several government institutions for permission to install a memorial, but all declined. Planning for the installation began in June 2017 to ensure its completion by the sixth anniversary of the kidnapping.[6]: 135–138 

The monument arrived in two trucks, and the family used loudspeakers to inform passersby about the installation. The base was anchored with rebar, welded in place, and filled with cement. The sculpture, composed of two interlocking pieces of different colors, was then mounted on the pedestal. It includes two plaques, one of which recounts the story of Ramírez and Rivera. The installers received threats from unidentified authorities, who warned that the sculpture would be removed. In response, the family maintained a presence at the site for six months to safeguard it.[6]: 135–138 

According to González, the location was chosen for its central position and proximity to institutions that, she argued, had failed to fulfill their duties and allowed the case to remain unresolved.[6]: 135–138  The base of the memorial includes brackets designed to hold padlocks, symbolizing a call for improved security in response to the thousands of kidnappings that occur in the country.[8]

Notes

  1. ^ lit. transl. "Let's Rescue David and Miguel"

References

  1. ^ a b c Moreno, Sandra Lucía (18 May 2015). "Tres años sin David ni Miguel, el drama del secuestro en México" [Three Years Without David or Miguel: The Drama of Kidnapping in Mexico]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 November 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  2. ^ Alonzo Romero, Selene (11 September 2017). "La cruda historia de David y Miguel: cinco años secuestrados" [The Harsh Story of David and Miguel: Five Years Kidnapped]. Excélsior (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  3. ^ "Pide Barbosa al Senado que cite a titular de PGR por desapariciones" [Barbosa Asks the Senate to Summon the Head of the PGR Regarding Disappearances]. El Universal (in Spanish). 25 April 2017. Archived from the original on 4 December 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b Altamirano, Claudia (16 January 2018). "El sexenio en que Reforma se convirtió en el Paseo de las Víctimas" [The six-year term in which Reforma became the Promenade of the Victims]. Animal Político. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  5. ^ Alonzo Romero, Selene (5 January 2018). "Levantan memorial por David y Miguel; 6 años secuestrados" [A Memorial Is Erected for David and Miguel; 6 Years Kidnapped]. Excélsior (in Spanish). Mexico City. Archived from the original on 10 July 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d Antimonumentos: Memoria, Verdad y Justicia [Anti-monuments: Memory, Truth and Justice] (PDF) (in Spanish) (2nd ed.). Heinrich Böll Foundation. December 2021. ISBN 978-607-99582-4-4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  7. ^ Galván, Melissa (13 March 2021). "México, el país de los antimonumentos que exigen acabar con la impunidad" [Mexico, the Country of Anti-monuments That Demand an End to Impunity]. Expansión (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 December 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  8. ^ Zafra, Gibrán (13 March 2018). "Reforma: paseo de los antimonumentos" [Reforma: Promenade of the anti-monuments]. Reporte Índigo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.