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Las Tunas Cuba | The City of Sculptures

El Cornito las tunas

We should be happy for the sculptures in the ‘city of sculptures’, all providing innovative, much-needed visual appeal across Las Tunas’ dreary city center.

It all began at the 3rd Sculptors National Meeting in 1977 which pushed Las Tunas to prominence as Cubes capital of street sculpture amount amassing a quality list of works whose presence is thanks to outstanding national artist’s figures such as Rita Longa. Shortly after this surge in interest in Las Tunas, national artists throughout the island began donating collections to the province. As such, over the past 30 years, artistic piece by piece, the province has won the accolade “City of Cuban Sculpture”.

Start the sculpture trail in Plaza Martí, where an imaginative bronze statue of the ‘apostle of Cuban independence’ by Rita Longa also doubles as a solar clock. This piece was inaugurated in 1995 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of José Marti’s death.

La Fuente de Las Antilles las tunas

Other notables statues include La Fuente de Las Antilles , elaborate interwoven figures symbolizing the emergence of the Greater Antilles’ indigenous peoples called Taino Indians, Monumento al Trabajo, commemorating Cuban workers, and the pencil-like Monumento a Alfabetización , marking the 1961 law passed in Las Tunas to stamp out illiteracy. You’ll have to get out to Motel el Cornito to see the exemplary Janus-inspired Cacique Maniabo y Jibacoa , a two-headed Taino Indian chief looking in opposite directions. There’s also the impressive El Quijote de Puerto Padre to add to the burgeoning bucket list of “must sees”

el-quijote-de-puerto-padre

In total the whole province of Las Tunas boasts 125 commemorative works, of them, 47 sculptures, 55 slabs, 11 busts, 3 statues, 3 obelisks, 3 pantheons, 3 mausoleums and a stone tablet.

For their artistic, historical or environmental values, 26 pieces are considered of great patrimonial value, such as the sculpture of Vicente García and to The Mothers whose work symbolizes Las Tunas as a city of great values.

Las Tunas Vicente Garcia

Back in town center the small Galería Taller Escultura Rita Longa pulls together some fine local work and is worth a visit.

Overall a visit to Las Tunas could be entirely consumed viewing statutes and street art. Sometimes nestled in a corner or on epic grandiose display, the ‘city of sculptures’ of Las Tunas is a remarkable artistic expression.