A statue of Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro has been reinstalled in the center of Lima, Peru, more than 20 years after it was removed.

The sculpture was unveiled at a ceremony marking the city’s 490th anniversary.

Pizarro founded Lima in 1535 after defeating the Inca Empire and seizing its lands for the Spanish Crown.

Indigenous leaders call him a mass murderer who destroyed their culture, while those who support returning the statue say Peru should not erase its history.

The monument, which depicts Pizarro on horseback with his sword drawn, was created by American sculptor Charles Rumsey and donated by his widow in 1935 to commemorate the city’s founding 400th anniversary.

In 2003, amid calls for demolition, it was moved to a park next to the train tracks outside the city center.

Luis Bogdanovich, who is in charge of restoring the historic center, told local media that the statue had been damaged by trains constantly passing by, causing it to crack.

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

According to Spanish newspaper El Pais, Díaz Ayuso said that the ceremony “not only commemorates the birth of a city, but also commemorates the beginning of a historic encounter that will change the world forever.”

Dozens of Peruvians demonstrated nearby against its return, AFP reported.

“This is a crime, a crime against all indigenous peoples in Peru, Latin America and the world,” one person said.