Nostalgia - The Sculpture the Town Paid For
A stop on Puerto Vallarta: Malecon and Old Town, a free self-guided tour.
This tender bronze of a couple seated side by side, gazing out to sea, is Nostalgia, by the sculptor Ramiz Barquet. It went up in 1984 and was only the second sculpture placed on the Malecon, the piece that started turning the promenade into an open-air gallery.
What makes it special is how it got here. Barquet donated his work, and the people of Puerto Vallarta raised the money to cast and install it, making it the first public sculpture in town paid for entirely by residents. Not everyone was pleased at first: some religious groups protested a few of the early Malecon pieces, Nostalgia among them.
As you continue south, look for other sculptures along the way, including a clown about to swallow a stone and a seahorse turning into a unicorn. Each has a small plaque naming the artist. Take a seat on a nearby bench and look where the couple is looking: west across Banderas Bay.
Getting here: Walk south along the Malecon about 200 meters to the corner of Calle Pipila.
Did you know?: Many of the Malecon sculptures were donated or paid for by artists, residents and local groups rather than bought by the city.
Photo op: Stand behind the couple and frame them looking out over the bay, ideally late in the day.
Stops on this tour
- North End of the Malecon - Where Time Begins
- Nostalgia - The Sculpture the Town Paid For
- Rotunda of the Sea - Thrones You Can Sit On
- The Boy on the Seahorse - Vallarta's Emblem
- Los Arcos - Arches From a Hacienda
- Main Plaza and City Hall - The Heart of Old Vallarta
- Our Lady of Guadalupe - The Church With a Crown
- Gringo Gulch - Where Hollywood Came to Stay
- Isla Cuale - An Island in the River
- Zona Romantica - Old Town South of the River
- Los Muertos Beach and Pier - The Sail at Sunset