A statue of the Mexican land reformer and revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata will be unveiled in Plaza Centenario, 1200 E. Lake St., as part of Mexican Independence Day festivities.

The statue is a gift from Minneapolis' sister city, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, and has been on display in a nearby grocery store since it was donated in 2007. Plaza Centenario will be its permanent location.

A brief program is scheduled for 5 p.m. Sunday. Council Member Gary Schiff, Mexican Consulate Director Alberto Fierro, local artist Maria Cristina Tavera and Rolando Borja, president of the Minneapolis Cuernavaca Sister City Association, are scheduled to speak.

Born in Morelos, Zapata was a hero of the Mexican Revolution, which took place from 1910 to 1920. Zapata was known for the slogan, "Tierra y Libertad!" (Land and Liberty), representing his passion for social and agrarian land reform. He was assassinated in 1919.

Bill McAuliffe

@BILLMCSTRIB