Statue of Spanish conquistador Pizarro returns to central Lima

The monument, which shows Pizarro on horseback with his sword drawn, was created by the American sculptor Charles Rumsey and offered by his widow to commemorate the city’s fourth centenary in 1935.

In 2003, it was moved to a park next to the railway line outside the city center after calls for its removal.

Luis Bogdanovich, who is in charge of restoring the historic center, told local media that the statue was damaged by a passing train, which caused cracks.

The bronze statue was unveiled on Saturday alongside Mr Bogdanovich and several of Pizarro’s descendants in Lima’s main square, the Plaza de Armas.

Díaz Ayuso said the ceremony commemorated “not only the birth of the city, but also the beginning of a historic encounter that forever changed the world”, reported Spanish daily El Pais.

Dozens of Peruvians staged a demonstration nearby opposing the return, according to the AFP news agency.

“This is an offense, an offense to all the indigenous peoples of Peru, Latin America and the world,” one person said.