The NBC News denounced the disappearance of bronze bustos, statues and plaques of important Mexican historical figures collected over decades at “El Parque de México” in Los Angeles.

According to the publication, the writer and columnist of the Los Angeles Times, Gustavo Arellano, was the first to draw attention to the subject, citing that of the 33 sculptures, the first to disappear was that of Pancho Villa, the Mexican revolutionary leader, which was recovered after being seized in the backyard of a man’s house.

Over the years, others have also disappeared, such as Lázaro Cárdenas, who was president of Mexico between 1934 and 1940, and Ramón López Velarde, a renowned poet and postmodern author, among others, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“A total of 20 bust statues with plaques are missing. Just five full-size statues remain, as Villalobos notes that they are too large to be removed. They honor Benito Juárez, who was the first Indigenous president of Mexico, Emperor Cuauhtémoc, an Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlán, Agustín Lara, an actor and one of Mexico's foremost composers and performer of boleros, and revolutionary leaders Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa”, according to NBC.

In collaboration with the Mexican government and then-L.A. City Councilman Arthur Snyder (who died in 2012), the commemorative installations were donated starting in the late 1970s to promote the cultural heritage of the Mexican American community in the city and to demonstrate goodwill between the U.S. and Mexico.

Jennifer Barraza, chief of staff to Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de León, said they are taking steps to restore El Parque de Mexico and Lincoln Park. Both were inherited by the Distrito de León (CD-14) after the county’s redistricting last year.

The state’s general attorney, Rob Bonta, is investigating the redistricting process following a Los Angeles City Council scandal last year involving racist comments made primarily by then-council chairman Nury Martinez in a conversation with other Latino leaders, including de León, who declined requests for his resignation.

“Despite the scandal, de León's office has secured millions of dollars in funding to improve infrastructure of the entire region, including working on roads, sidewalks, the park's lake, trees and lighting issues, and closing the connectivity gap between El Parque de Mexico and Lincoln Park”.

“Barraza explained that the office is working with the city's department of recreation and parks to analyze the extent of damages and to learn the cost of missing art to decide whether they should install new art, pay out-of-pocket discretionary money to recover missing pieces and hold discussions with community members about protecting the remaining sculptures. Barraza said the office is hoping to receive the analysis report by summer or early fall to advance restoration plans” according to NBC.