The Official Guide to the Puerto Vallarta Malecon Sculptures (Part 1)

The Malecon boardwalk and its sculptures are a must-see when you visit Puerto Vallarta.  But, do you know the names of each of them and their creators?  Do you know which was the first "interactive" sculpture on the Malecon?  Or which of them has been wrongly named for many years?

To help you show off your knowledge of Puerto Vallarta the next time you climb a sculpture to take a souvenir photo, we present the first part of the Puerto Vallarta Official Travel Guide to the Sculptures of the Malecon boardwalk, filled with curious fun facts and little-known anecdotes.  

MILLENNIA

• The Artist: Puerto Vallarta sculptor Mathis Lídice.
• Year of Creation: 2001. 
• Location: It is located in front of the ocean and next to Hotel Rosita, at the beginning of 31 de Octubre Street.
• Meaning: “Los milenios” (Millennia) is a 7.30 meter high bronze sculpture.  According to the artist, it is an allegory that represents an expression of time, seen from several different points of view: Cosmology, Physical Science, Biology and History.  The lower part of the sculpture represents the millennia of human existence before Christ, and the upper part represents the three millennia after Christ. 
• Fun Fact: On closer inspection, the faces of Charlemagne and the Tlatoan Nezahualcoyotl, the atomic model of the physicist Neils Bohr, Quetzalcoatl “the Feathered Serpent" and the face of a young woman are recognizable.  The features of the young woman are those of Noemi Gomez Lopez, Miss Puerto Vallarta 1997 and the first Vallarta woman crowned Miss Jalisco in 1998.

ORIGIN AND DESTINY

• The Artist: Pedro Tello.
• Year of Creation: 2011. 
• Location: It is located in front of La Bodeguita del Medio, at the intersection of the Malecón boardwalk and Allende Street.
• Meaning: “Origin and Destiny” is a set of bronzes consisting of a rectangular fountain and eight different sculptures.  Only five of them have been installed so far.  Each of the sculptures has a name: The Canoe, The Whale, The Chimera, The Obelisk, and The Wheel.  Can you do a guess on each one?  The names of the three pieces that are still missing are: The Dancer, The Horse and The Musician.
• Fun Fact: “Origin and Destiny”  is the only public sculpture in Puerto Vallarta with an interactive design by its creator.  The Whale throws a water jet and the Obelisk has an hourglass with water falling.

NOSTALGIA

• The Artist: The renowned Mexican-Lebanese sculptor Ramiz Barquet (1920-2010).  
• Year of Creation: 1984. 
• Location: It is located in front of Señor Frogs, at the intersection of the Malecon boardwalk and Pípila Street.
• Meaning: “Nostalgia” was the second sculpture that was placed on the Malecon boardwalk in 1984 to transform it into what it is today: an open-air art gallery. 
• Fun Fact: It was the first public sculpture completely funded by Puerto Vallarta residents. The sculptor José Ramiz Barquet donated his work, and 42 local businesses and eleven individuals were part of the project. The original dedication plaque was lost after Hurricane Kenna hit Puerto Vallarta in 2002.

THE SUBTLE STONE EATER

• The Artist: Jonás Gutiérrez.
• Year of Creation: 2006.
• Location: Since 2011, “The Subtle Stone Eater” is located at the intersection of the Malecon boardwalk and Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez Street.
• Meaning: “The Subtle Stone Eater” is a piece made of cast bronze in shades of green and blue.  The sculpture is 2.19 meters high.  It represents the figure of a bald clown holding an egg-shaped obsidian stone in his left hand, which he is about to swallow.  His right hand is open, as if waiting for more stones to lay upon it for him to consume.  The obsidian stone has been carved and finely polished to a mirror-like finish.
• Fun Fact: If you look closely, you will notice several male faces in the folds of the clown's pants.  The sculpture was originally located between the streets of Abasolo and Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez.  Today it can be found in front of the Italian restaurant La Dolce Vita.

UNICORN OF THE GOOD FORTUNE 

• The Artist: Aníbal Riebeling-Gutiérrez.
• Year of Creation: 2007.
• Location: It is located at the intersection of the Malecon boardwalk and Leona Vicario Street.
• Meaning: This light blue and green patinated bronze sculpture represents a seahorse, a worldwide symbol of the city of Puerto Vallarta, which transforms into a unicorn after emerging from the sea.

NATURE AS MOTHER 

• The Artist: Adrián Reynoso.
• Year of Creation: 1996.
• Location: Located at the intersection of the Malecon boardwalk and Abasolo Street, in front of Rakata Vallarta nightclub. 
• Meaning: “Nature as Mother” was the first "interactive" sculpture to be installed in the city of Puerto Vallarta.  It is the work of artist Adrián Reynoso and was designed to be at ground level so that it would be accessible to children for climbing.  Local businessman Señor Gabriel Igartúa Sanchez of the Las Palmas by the Sea Hotel funded the casting of the sculpture. He and the artist presented it as a gift to the people of Puerto Vallarta.
• Fun Fact: The sculpture was relocated three times.  In fact, it has been placed a long way from the Malecon boardwalk.  In 2013, it was installed in the plaza of the Infonavit CTM neighborhood.  It was to remain there until 2019, when it was decided to move it to its current location.

Fascinating, don't you think?  Don't miss the second part of the Official Guide to the Malecon Sculptures in the next blog post.  Meanwhile, be sure to share your best Puerto Vallarta holiday pictures with us on our social networks (Instagram, Facebook, X & TikTok) using #PuertoVallarta.