MONUMENTS OF VALLEDUPAR (COLOMBIA)

The Obelisk: The Obelisk is a cement structure 30 meters high located at the entrance of Valledupar on the road that Barranquilla and Foundation leads to this city. It was designed by the architect Carlos García as a "homage to life" and its construction, by the architect Helcías Castilla, dates from 1994, which does not prevent that, despite his youth, whether it is considered a milestone or reference of the vital space of the city.

El Cacique Upar: Located in the roundabout that is in front of the Transport Terminal, the statue of the Grand Chief Upar in a convincing attitude is the work of the vallenato sculptor: Jorge Maestre, who chose fiberglass to make it. It is a tribute to the GRAN CACIQUE UPAR, Chief of Chiefs of the country of the Chimilas, tribe governed by a Supreme Cacique on whom rested the organization and orientation of the entire region. For the cacique to acquire the title of Upar, which signified strength, courage and justice, it required a process of sincere consecration for the good of the governed, under the influence of the Sun god and Mother Moon. Strength, intelligence and cunning served to achieve the rank of cacique but to be a UPAR other attributes were necessary and strict compliance with rigorous requirements.

Sculpture by Hernando de Santana: This sculpture, designed by the Jorge Maestre Vallenato in scrap material, is a tribute to the Spanish captain Don Hernando de Santanta, who on January 6, 1550, founded the City of the Holy Kings of the Cacique Valley Upar on the banks of the Guatapurí River before the Public Storiban Lord Don Francisco De Ávila. The imposing and elevated sculpture, representing a Spanish conquistador wearing his characteristic attire and sword, is located on Avenida Salguero and was erected in 2000 as a gift to the city in the 450 years of its foundation.

Tribute to the Vallenato Folklore: The vallenato folklore sculpture in which the three members of a typical ensemble of vallenato music are represented: accordion player, cashier and guacharaquero, is due to the talent of the vallenato sculptor Jorge Maestre. It is located on diagonal 23, Simon Bolivar Avenue, and was made with the purpose of paying homage to one of the greatest and most appreciated values ​​of our region, as are the minstrels who, with their songs, have magnified our culture and taken the name from Valledupar to all corners of the world.

The fighting cocks (Tribute to the world's cockatoos): The Bogota sculptor Elma Pignalosa used bronze, iron and aluminum sheets to make this beautiful sculpture located at the intersection of Simón Bolívar Avenue with the 16C cross where it became , since its installation, in the best reference of the popularity and popularity that the galleros have in the region. In fact, this sculpture is a tribute to that great gallistic hobby that exists in the coastal departments and has in Valledupar one of its best and most characteristic hobbies. Very close to this sculpture is the "Miguel Yanet" coliseum, an obligatory meeting point for the region's ropes.

La Maria Mulata: This monument is a gift from the renowned Colombian painter and sculptor Enrique Grau to the city, which recognizes and distinguishes it as one of the great coastal values ​​of universal culture, on January 6, 2000 when Valledupar celebrated its 450 years of being founded by Don Hernando de Santana. "La Maria Mulata" is a harmless little black bird, well known in our region where it is also called "cook". The monument is located at the intersection of Carrera 16 and Calle 18 and was inaugurated during the administration of the Alcade Jhony Pérez Oñate.

The Piece of Accordion: Located on Hurtado Avenue. Sculptor: GABRIEL BELTRÁN. Materials: Iron, phosphor bronze, burnished and assembled, red copper assembled. Dimensions: 6 m high, 10 m long and 4.5 m wide. PURPOSE: With the execution and installation of the monument "My piece of Accordion", one of the most controversial avant-garde sculptures of the region, the Mayor of Valledupar set out to pay tribute to the accordion player, singer and composer, represented in the minstrel by excellence: Alejandro Durán, whose song of the same name ("My piece of accordion") became, in its own right, a kind of coastal musical symbol given its musical qualities and the sentimentality of its text in which the singer puts Of course, his greatest treasure is his accordion and he only asks to be buried with it.

The Poporos: elaborated by Jorge Maestre with the technique of melting the lost wax in bronze, is one of the most beautiful monuments of the city. Located on Juventud Avenue, in front of the Covered Coliseum "Julio Cesar Monsalvo", stands out for the originality of the concept and the cleanliness of the materials that served to conceive

The Poporos: elaborated by Jorge Maestre with the technique of melting the lost wax in bronze, is one of the most beautiful monuments of the city. Located on Juventud Avenue, in front of the Covered Coliseum "Julio Cesar Monsalvo", stands out for the originality of the concept and the cleanliness of the materials that served to conceive this beautiful sculpture that is a recognition -the most appropriate, if you will- the three indigenous ethnic groups that still inhabit the Sierra Nevada, such as the Arhuacos, the Koguis and the Arzara. "The Poporos" represent the gadget of the same name that the Indians use to preserve the "jayo" that they taste constantly and that is a characteristic element of their culture.

The Revolution in March: Located on the southeastern side of the Plaza Alfonso López de Valledupar, the sculpture "The revolution in progress" of the Master Rodrigo Arenas Betancur, stands imposing in its majesty, silhouetted against the blue of the vallenato sky as the most perfect realization of the flight of the idea. It was conceived by Maestro Arenas Betancur, thanks to the order made by the governor Paulina Mejía de Castro Monsalvo in homage to one of the most beloved Vallenatos and Colombians: Doctor Alfonso López Pumarejo, in whose first presidency Valledupar obtained great benefits that allowed him to spend from being a remote village to a small city with a promising future. "The revolution underway", in addition, was the name of his government program that gave him, for the first time in history, guarantees and social rights for workers and women.

Tribute to the Traveler: Located on Carrera 9a with Calle 12 (Parque el Viajero), it was made of fiberglass by the students of the School of Fine Arts, under the guidance of Mrs. Edith Castro de Rodríguez. The purpose of this sculpture was to capture the good-natured figure of the traveler who once, in the so-called municipal buses or chivas, came from the neighboring towns (La Mina, Guacoche, Badillo, Patillal, among others) to market and do errands in Valledupar, and Once his task was accomplished, he would return, with his suitcase full, to sit down and wait for the car to return him to his place of origin. The place where it is located is the same where, in other times, there was "The station" where the vehicles arrived to drop off and pick up passengers.

the Sirena of  Hurtado: Jorge Maestre, whose talent and artistic ability seem to have no end, conceived this figure, very rare, to capture the mythical silhouette of the Sirena de Hurtado that was placed on one of the rocks that protect the left bank of the Guatapurí River . Made of fiberglass with an attractive golden color that highlights the exotic beauty of the only freshwater siren that exists in the world, the sculpture represents and represents one of the most deeply rooted legends and tradition in vallenato mythology, as it is "La Sirena de Hurtado".

the Pilonera Mayor: Entering Valledupar by the Hurtado bridge, the Pilonera Mayor is one of the great symbols that welcome visitors. A few meters from the Legend Park, the statue gives life to one of the most spacious and beautiful roundabouts in the city. A recommended place to take a photo and share the greatness of the foclor vallenato.Inaugurated on March 18, 2010, the monument pays homage to the "La Cacica" Consuelo Araujonoguera (the great promoter of the Festival of the Vallenata Legend) and also to the first dancers of vallenato pylon.

The chair of Diomedes Díaz

Metallic bronze image on a human scale, was located in the Los Juglares Glorieta, honoring the greatness of this singer of vallenato music, who died on December 22, 2013 in Valledupar. The sculpture is by the plastic artists Jhon Peñaloza and Misael Martínez and consists of a bench in metal structure, with wooden slats where the image is sitting.