XII Travelers - Memorial of the Southwest

Ethan Houser sculpts the form for the Benito Juárez monument

The XII Travelers organization was established to, “celebrate our region’s rich history with monumental bronze statues commemorating the diverse men and women who traveled through the Pass of the North over the past five centuries.” Fourth in their series of twelve monuments is Benito Juárez, From Child to Man. It features the young Juárez as a sheepherder from a Oaxacan village seated next to an adult Benito Juárez, president of Mexico.

Chamizal National Memorial began working with XII Travelers in 2016 to receive the statue and install it in the park. This fulfills intentions of the park’s early planners to include such a monument as a complement to the Abraham Lincoln statue erected by Mexico in Ciudad Juárez in 1964.

Benito Juárez, From Child to Man was sculpted by the late John Houser and his son, Ethan Houser. It was installed on the esplanade in front of the Chamizal National Memorial Cultural Center. An existing bronze Lincoln-Juárez medallion and interpretive wayside panel will be added to complement the sculpture.

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Sculpture Istallation and Dedication

Visit the XII Travelers website for more information about the elaboration of the sculpture and the dedication event held on September 25, 2022.

 

 

Abraham Lincoln and Benito Juárez

Browse our virtual Monumental Men: Lincoln | Juárez exhibit to learn more about the significance of these monumental men as symbols of US-Mexico relations.