Soldiers' Monument, Civil War memorial at Plaza, Santa Fe, US.

The Soldiers' Monument is a cenotaph in the center of Santa Fe Plaza, now reduced to its square plinth after the 33-foot obelisk was toppled in 2020. The plinth has a locally made brick-and-lime core, four inscribed stone panels, and imported Italian marble trim with columns and wreaths. The obelisk was marble, not limestone.

Built in 1867, this memorial honors Union Army soldiers who fell during the Civil War and related conflicts across New Mexico Territory. It has stood on the Plaza for over 150 years, serving as a focal point for remembering that era.

The north panel's phrase "savage Indians" was chiseled off by an anonymous person in 1974, and the panel itself was broken out in October 2020. That panel faced the Palace of the Governors, where Puebloan artisans sell crafts under the portico. In 1909 legislators proposed replacing "Rebel" with "Confederate" on the other panels, but the measure failed.

The memorial is accessible year-round and sits openly on the Plaza surrounded by pathways, seating, and shade trees for comfort. You can view all four panels from different angles, and there is plenty of space to move around and take in the surroundings.

Buried within the monument's foundation is a time capsule holding newspapers, coins, and artifacts from the 1800s, placed during the dedication ceremony in 1867. This hidden collection offers a snapshot of daily life and values from that era.