Between deterioration and neglect, Mazatlán monuments lose their beauty

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During the last five years, the maintenance that has been given to the 22 tourist attractions located along the Malecón has been minimal, only painting and cleaning.

Mazatlán, Sin.- Without an established conservation program that allows constant maintenance of Mazatlán’s tourist infrastructure, the port monuments, some of them more than six decades old and which are visited by thousands of tourists, survive between the rust, sea breezes, moisture and vandalism.

The objective for which they were created, to become iconic places in the port along the 21 kilometers of the Malecón, from Valentino to Olas Altas, is completely destroyed when the visitor gets to know them and finds a panorama very different from the one sees in the advertising that circulates on the internet about Mazatlán.

Angélica and her husband visited the port from Mexico City, it is the first time they have come and in her itinerary, they considered visiting all the monuments that are on the Malecón to take photos of them.

They began in the morning at the monument to Pedro Infante, placed in Olas Altas, then passed by the Mujer Mazatleca, El Clavadista, La Sirena de los Mares and the Continuidad de la Vida, on Paseo Claussen, to end at noon in the famous Monos Bichis (Monument to the Pescador).

“Yes, they are very beautiful, but I feel that they need maintenance, some are more deteriorated than others, especially the Monument to the Pescador, we noticed it neglected, it did not even have water, I think they should pay more attention to them, because the truth is that for the tourists, it is very interesting for us to visit them and take photos in those places and what better than that they are in good condition”, assured the visitor.

On her tour of the Malecón, the next stop was the Monument to Pulmonía, which pays homage to the iconic transportation of Mazatlán and which, although it has not been long since it was installed on Del Mar avenue, by the Rafael Domínguez street, which was inaugurated in 1998, already is one of the most deteriorated.

“The truth is that we got into Pulmonia with some fear, because it is rusty and there are half-broken parts that if you don’t pay attention you can cut yourself and with the rust you even get an infection. We took the photo but very carefully, it’s a pity, in the photos we had seen on the internet you couldn’t see the bad condition it is in,” she added.

Along the Malecón there are 22 monuments, most of them made of bronze, but the maintenance they have received in the last five years is only washing and painting, although many require extensive rehabilitation, due to the deterioration they present due to the sun, sea breeze, rain, among other factors.

As they continued walking along Del Mar Avenue and reached the intersection with Rafael Buelna Avenue, Angélica and her husband wondered what the monument located on the roundabout that connects these roads with Camarón Sábalo Avenue meant.

It is the La Perla monument, inaugurated in 2020 and which only worked for a few weeks, since it was never illuminated again and since then it has been without water.

“Although the Malecón is very beautiful and Mazatlán in general too, it is disappointing that these details are not taken care of, because they are things that tourists see and although that does not mean that we do not have a good time in the port, it is evident that they do not take careful in their maintenance”, added Angélica.

In the last five years the deterioration of the monuments located along the coastal strip has been visible due to the lack of maintenance by the municipality.

For the hotel businessman José María Hernández, with more than six decades in the tourism sector, the lack of maintenance registered on the monuments, including the most emblematic of the port, is unfortunate.

“For many years I have had to experience different stages of Mazatlán and the maintenance of these iconic beauties corresponds to the City Council, but right now they are more busy in the presidential succession than in attending to and beautifying Mazatlán, so that those who visit the destination see the monuments, the fountains , roundabouts as beautiful and well-cared viewpoints, so that they can take pictures and carry a good memory, ”he said.

“They are tourist attractions, I would like the La Perla fountain, which is in the Valentino roundabout and which has been dry for years, to add water or remove it, why do they want that mess there, it is wasted, such a beautiful fountain; The same is with of the ‘Monos Bichis’, the Pescador is all dirty and with no water. And that is the iconic monument of Mazatlán”.

In addition to the Monument to the Pescador, La Pulmonía and La Perla, maintenance is also urgently needed for the Reina de los Mares (Little Mermaid), located in the Glorieta Sánchez Taboada, which has been vandalized on different occasions.

The last deep rehabilitation that was done to the Monument of the Pescador, which was installed at the intersection of Del Mar avenue with Gutiérrez Nájera in 1958, was in December 2016, with an investment of 2 million pesos.

At that time, Venetian mosaic was installed, an electrical system for artistic lighting, a hydraulic system for fountains, detailed resin figures and painting in general. Seven years after that, the sculpture looks quite deteriorated.

The La Perla monument was inaugurated in October 2020 during the first term of government of former mayor Luis Guillermo Benítez Torres; The investment in the work was 4.5 million pesos and was in charge of the state and municipal governments and the Azteca Lighting company, regarding the stainless-steel sphere, finishes and lighting. Everything indicated that it would become one of the most visited attractions, due to its location, however, for unknown reasons, the structure was never functional.

Other works that are forgotten by the municipal authorities are the area of the Clavadista and the Monument to the Continuidad de la Vida, which had its last rehabilitation in 2018, but currently, mainly the dolphins, are deteriorated and even the fountain remain without water for many days.

The La Reina de Los Mares, installed in 1980 in the Clavadistas area, is a clear example of vandalism, since the mermaid has been gradually destroyed, first they stole the Cupid that was standing on the left side and then they tore off one of its arms , then the tail.

The Mujer Mazatleca is another of the monuments that suffers corrosion, dirt and loss of paint; It was made in 1982 and was officially inaugurated in 1983 by the sculptor Juan Méndez. It is located on Paseo Claussen.

As well as the Baseball Monument, which was originally placed in the Teodoro Mariscal Stadium and since 2006 located on Del Mar Avenue, near the intersection with Insurgentes.

For its part, the iconic Pulmonía had its last restoration in 2016, after being vandalized, when the steering wheel was ripped off.

The newest monuments are that of Jacques Cousteau, an oceanographic technician who contributed his knowledge for the sake of marine conservation, which was installed on Paseo Claussen last year and this May José Alfredo Jiménez was installed at the Corazón viewpoint of the Centennial Walk.

In the latter, the mayor of Mazatlán, Édgar González Zataráin, assured that the project to place benches and a bridge will not continue, as was planned when the “Quimico” Benítez Torres was in charge of the municipality, but it is intended to place to more characters in that square, illustrious men and women.

Permits were also requested from the corresponding authorities for the placement of handrails and lighting, which gives more security to those who visit that place.

“As soon as the green light is given, lighting and a kind of handrail, stainless steel railings will be placed. We are also waiting for permission for the issue of the Paseo de las Estrellas, which are very deteriorated and the Clavadistas that we are waiting for.”

The director of Public Works of the Mazatlán City Council, Rigoberto Arámburo Bojorquez, assures that there is already an intervention strategy for the restoration of the monuments and that the calls for said works will be published soon.

He announced that there are some projects, work has been done on the survey, evaluations, and detailed analysis of some of the main monuments of the city, in addition to having a budget labeled for restoration.

According to the Annual Public Works Program, the item for urban maintenance is 20 million pesos, although other actions also fall under this category, such as storm drainage repair, canal slab repair, pedestrian bridges, signage, and road improvement.

The Sinaloa Tourism Secretariat reported that the municipality is in charge of maintenance, so it has not assigned a set of economic resources for that because they are municipal assets.

The most deteriorated

– Monument to Pulmonias, last rehabilitation in 2016

– Monument to El Pescador, last rehabilitation in 2016

– La Perla Monument, installed in October 2020, has never worked

– Monument to the Continuidad de la Vida, last rehabilitation in 2018

– The Reina de los Mares, has never been rehabilitated.

Antiquity

– Monument to the Pescador (1958)

– The Reina de Los Mares (1980)

– Mujer Mazatleca (1982)

– Continuidad de la Vida (1990)

– Monument to Pulmonias (1998)

– Monument to Pedro Infante (2004)

– Monument to Baseball (2006)

– La Perla (2020)

Source: El Sol de Mazatlan