A statue of the Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro has been re-established in the center of Peru’s capital Lima, 20 years after it was removed.

The statue was unveiled at a ceremony to commemorate the 490th anniversary of the founding of the city.

Pizarro founded Lima in 1535 after defeating the Inca Empire and claiming their land for the Spanish crown.

The country’s leaders say he was a mass murderer who destroyed their culture, while those who helped bring the statue back said Peru should not erase its history.

The monument, which depicts Pizarro on horseback with his sword, was designed by American sculptor Charles Rumsey and was dedicated by his widow to commemorate the city’s fourth centenary in 1935.

In 2003, it was moved to a park near the railway tracks on the outskirts of the city following calls for its removal.

Luis Bogdanovich, who was in charge of the restoration of the historical site, told local media that the statue was damaged by the constant traffic of trains, which caused it to break.

A bronze statue was unveiled Saturday alongside Mr. Bogdanovich and several descendants of Pizarro in Lima’s main square, the Plaza de Armas.

Díaz Ayuso said the ceremony commemorates “not only the birth of the city, but also the beginning of a historic meeting that changed the world”, reported Spanish newspaper El Pais.

Many Peruvians protested nearby to oppose their return, according to the AFP news agency.

“This is a crime, a crime for all Peruvians, Latin Americans and the whole world,” said one person.