Antimonument Installed in Mexico City to Honor Slain and Missing Journalists
Mexico City, May 31, 2026 – Family members of journalists and various collectives installed a nearly one-ton antimonument in Mexico City on Saturday. The memorial serves to name and remember journalists who have been killed or disappeared in Mexico, a country considered one of the most perilous for practicing journalism, according to Reporters Without Borders. This installation comes just days before the 2026 World Cup.
The memorial was placed on Paseo de la Reforma, at the well-known “Esquina de la Información” (Information Corner), a site that once housed some of the country’s main print newsrooms and remains a highly visited spot for both national and international tourists.
Visibility for Violence Against the Press Ahead of the World Cup
With the World Cup inauguration scheduled for June 11, activists from collectives such as Periodistas Unidos and participants in the Breach/Valdez Award for Journalism and Human Rights hope the structure will serve as a stark reminder of the severe challenges faced by journalism in Mexico.
According to the organizers, over 150 journalists have been murdered in Mexico since 2000, and dozens more remain disappeared. This alarming statistic underscores the urgent need for greater protection and justice for media professionals.
“The Route of Memory”: A Symbol of Open Wounds
For Jorge Verastegui, who has been searching for his brother and nephew since their disappearance in Coahuila in 2009, the presence of antimonuments on Paseo de la Reforma, which he calls “the route of memory,” signifies that many wounds in Mexico remain unhealed.
“We believe it is an important tool for social protest because it disrupts the public space in a very abrupt way, without asking permission from the government,” Verastegui explained, emphasizing the direct and impactful nature of these memorials.
Homage to Manuel Buendía and Critique of Disappearances
As part of the memorial, which incorporates both plant elements and welded metal structures, the collectives also paid tribute to Manuel Buendía, one of Mexico’s most influential journalists, who was assassinated on May 30, 1984.
Activist María, a member of the Hilos collective, described Buendía’s murder as “the first assassination of narcopolitics,” highlighting the deep-rooted corruption and violence that journalists often confront.
She also expressed her hope that the antimonument would be seen by the millions of visitors arriving for the World Cup, particularly by the international press, to draw global attention to these critical issues.
Antimonuments Gain Ground on Paseo de la Reforma
The first antimonument installed on Paseo de la Reforma was the red sculpture “+43,” erected in 2015 by the families of the disappeared Ayotzinapa students. Since then, various citizen memorials have occupied emblematic spaces in the capital, including the Glorieta de las Mujeres (Women’s Roundabout), which has become a symbol of the feminist struggle and demands for justice in Mexico.
These installations underscore a growing trend of public, unsanctioned memorials that serve as powerful statements against injustice and impunity, transforming public spaces into sites of memory and protest.
