Limited Edition of Vallarta Iconic Sculpture Now Available

Puerto Vallarta has two iconic symbols that identify the city everywhere: the Church of Guadalupe and the seahorse sculpture on display along Puerto Vallarta’s scenic Malecon or boardwalk. The latter, created by renowned Mexican artist Rafael Zamarripa in 1960, is now available for purchase in a limited bronze edition.

Zamarripa’s series of 20 sculptures, now available for purchase.

Zamarripa was only 18 and had won the Premio Nacional de Escultura  (National Sculpture  Award) when he created the original sculpture, which was installed on Las Pilitas in Playa Los Muertos. The Pilitas are just a series of rocks on Playa Los Muertos, about 50 meters before reaching the promontory called Pulpito which is the southern boundary of that beach.

After a heavy storm the original  sculpture was lost at sea so Zamarripa was asked to produce a larger replica. This new larger version was placed  prominently in 1976 on the Malecon  and was the first of many sculptures that  now adorn this famous Puerto Vallarta landmark. The original sculpture was later recovered and placed at its original position in Las Pilitas.

In 2002, during Hurricane Kena, the Pilitas sculpture was once again lost but later on found in the ocean. Nowadays it can be viewed with a larger support base on Los Muertos Beach.

Rafael Zamarripa (born February 8, 1942 in Guadalajara) is now a famous Mexican choreographer, who has excelled as a sculptor, ceramicist, designer, painter, dancer, teacher and stage designer. He is considered one of Mexico’s most prominent contemporary artists. He is currently the director of the Ballet Folklórico at Colima University and continues to enjoy his passions for painting, sculpting, teaching and choreographing Mexican folk dance.

The limited edition series consists of 20 sculptures only. They are approximately nine inches tall and can be purchased at Galería Contempo, at the corner of I. Vallarta and Basilio Badillo Sts. in Colonia Emiliano Zapata. For more information about Galería Contempo, please click here.