Interrupting Memory: Anti-monuments and the Transformation of Commemoration in Mexico City

Abstract

This article explores the emergence of anti-monuments (antimonumentos) in Mexico City as a new form of memorials, installed by victims’ families and activists in response to systemic violence and state impunity. Unlike traditional state-sanctioned monuments, anti-monuments reclaim public space and serve not only as sites of mourning but as performative acts of resistance and collective memory. Drawing on memory studies, ritual theory, and non-participant observation, I analyse their characteristics, symbolism, and practices through examples such as Antimonumento +43 and Glorieta de las Mujeres que Luchan. This study offers a conceptual foundation for future ethnographic research on the ritual dimensions of anti-monuments in Mexico.