Damage to 'El Caballito' Statue Stains Mexico City's Reputation Richard Fausset - The Los Angeles Times
go to original October 14, 2013

The 211-year-old equestrian statue of Spanish King Carlos IV is discolored, and many are blaming a restoration team hired by the city. (Cuartoscuro)

MEXICO CITY — The 211-year-old equestrian statue of Spanish King Carlos IV, known to generations of Mexicans as "El Caballito," is one of their nation's most famous and storied works of public art.

Today it stands on a picturesque square in the capital, discolored and allegedly damaged by a careless restoration team — a casualty, officials say, of an act of monumental boneheadedness.

Last week, Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History issued a report alleging that a restoration job ordered by the city government was botched and has resulted in "irreversible damage" to the historic bronze, which was cast before Napoleon declared himself emperor of France.

Experts claimed they found the culprit on scaffolding at the work site: a bucket containing a 60% nitric acid solution. The use of such stuff, they said, has been known for decades to be a bad choice for metal restoration work, and its application has caused new corrosion and discoloration, affecting more than half the surface of "El Caballito," which means "The Little Horse," even though it's nearly three stories high.

Read the rest at The Los Angeles Times

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!