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This monument represents Don Juan de Oñate, founder of the Camino Real (Royal Highway) and the Hispanic Southwest in 1598. Oñate also gave the city its name, El Paso del Norte. Installed in September 2006 and dedicated on April 21, 2007, it is the largest equestrian bronze statue in the world, (36 feet tall on an eight-foot cement base) and second monument in the XII Travelers series. While there were many contributions from Oñate, one of the most dramatic introductions among livestock was the horse. Because of his expedition, the first European colonists to celebrate a feast of Thanksgiving on North American soil took place just south of El Paso in San Elizario, Texas on April 30, 1598.