Few images represent Mexico City, and Mexico in general, as much as the Monument to Independence, inaugurated in 1910 to commemorate the centennial of the start of the War of Independence. However, there is a detail that often goes unnoticed: the golden figure that crowns the column is not, strictly speaking, an angel.
The sculpture represents Nike, the Greek goddess of victory (from whom the Nike brand takes its name). In Greek mythology, Nike symbolizes triumph and is usually depicted with large wings, a laurel wreath, and a palm branch, elements associated with victory. On the Mexican monument, she holds a laurel wreath for the heroes of Independence and a broken chain, a symbol of the freedom won. Nevertheless, popular imagination ended up christening the monument “The Angel of Independence,” a name that has endured for more than a century.
Why do most people identify it as an angel? The answer lies both in the sculpture’s appearance and in Mexico’s cultural context. Given that it depicts a human figure with wings, and considering the country’s predominantly Catholic tradition, it’s natural that many people associate it with an angel rather than a deity from Greek mythology.
In numerous passages of the Bible, angels appear simply as celestial messengers with human appearance. For example, Abraham’s visitors or the angels at Jesus’ tomb are described as having human features, without mentioning wings. While the Bible does describe celestial beings with wings, these are not the common angels. Cherubim and seraphim do appear with multiple wings in prophetic visions, such as those of Ezekiel and Isaiah. Over the centuries, Christian art merged these images with the general representation of angels, giving rise to the winged figure we all recognize today.
In the Christian artistic tradition that began to develop between the 4th and 5th centuries AD, early artists adopted wings as a visual device to express celestial nature, the swiftness with which divine messengers fulfill God’s will, and their difference from human beings. Furthermore, Christian art drew inspiration from winged figures present in the Greco-Roman world, such as Nike and other deities or personifications of victory.
Thus, the so-called “Angel of Independence” constitutes a curious blend of history, mythology, and popular tradition. The statue that dominates Paseo de la Reforma does not represent a biblical angel, but rather the Greek goddess of victory. However, the force of habit and the influence of Christian culture led millions of Mexicans to adopt it, forever, as “the Angel.”
