Finding ways to convey current research in cultural geography that is predicated on theoretical frameworks in a manner accessible to high school and undergraduate college students is pedagogically important but difficult in practice. Statues in Mexico City nicknamed the Indios Verdes offer a rich example of fluid cultural dynamics that illustrate how heritage is socially constructed and contested and how place is central to cultural meaning. Analysis of public monuments offers an effective method that can be used in a variety of regional contexts to demonstrate complex cultural processes and patterns. (Contains 4 figures.)