The Christopher Columbus statue that stood in downtown Los Angeles for 45 years is now in storage after being removed from its post in Grand Park.
Its removal was part of a long community campaign and comes one month after the city celebrated its first Indigenous Peoples Day in place of Columbus Day.
As workers removed the statue, crowd members cheered with joy.
Chrissie Castro, vice chair of the Native American Indian Commission (NAIC), says the statue's removal is long overdue.
“Los Angeles is home to the largest Indigenous community in the country,” Ms Castro said in a statement
“Our people have been protesting this statue, and all that it represents for decades. This is a victory for not only Indigenous peoples – but all Angelenos that care about truth, dignity and justice.”
NAIC worked closely with LA city council member Mitch O’Farrell and county supervisor Hilda Solis on the issue.
Speaking to the crowd gathered to watch the statue being taken down, Mr O'Farrell said this was about recognising the traumatic history figures such as Columbus represent.
"It’s up to us, the current generation, to insert a level of harmony and determination to bring this world back into balance, and that’s what this is all about,” Mr O’Farrell said.
The removal of statues across the US have mostly focused on those representing the Confederacy, seen to symbolise the nation's history of slavery.
In Australia and New Zealand, the debate has focused on whether statues of Captain Cook should remain.
