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All Mexico Bucerías 'El Buzo' ('The Diver')
AO Edited

'El Buzo' ('The Diver')

A sculpture dedicated to the trade that gave the town its name.

Bucerías, Mexico

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El Buzo   Michelle Cassidy/Atlas Obscura
El Buzo   Michelle Cassidy/Atlas Obscura
El Buzo   Michelle Cassidy/Atlas Obscura
The plaque on the sculpture.   Michelle Cassidy/Atlas Obscura
El Buzo   Michelle Cassidy/Atlas Obscura
The beach in Bucerías   andrew milligan sumo / CC BY 2.0
  andrew milligan sumo / CC BY 2.0
  andrew milligan sumo / CC BY 2.0
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About

The stretch of Mexico's Pacific coast now known as the Riviera Nayarita was once famous for its pearls. Divers would search the ocean floor off the Riviera's beaches for pearls, often dislodging them from rocks with metal crowbars. Many did so without the use of scuba equipment, holding their breath while they searched for the precious gems. The proliferation of divers and pearls in the area lead to this town's naming as Bucerías ("place of divers").

A statue was erected in Bucerías to honor this history. "El Buzo," or "The Diver," is the work of Jalisciense sculptor Octavio González Gutiérrez in collaboration with the Nayarita local Luis Armando Solorio. His appearance is based on that of Ramón Barraza, who spent about 40 years as an oyster diver in Bucerías.

The sculpture was inaugurated in 2014 and depicts a diver underwater, using his trusted crowbar to dislodge oysters. The metal diver is supported atop an actual marine rock dotted with metal mollusks and shellfish. The Diver is made of stainless steel and finished in bronze.

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Beaches Fishing Diving Statues Sculptures Water

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The sculpture is located on the public square known as Plaza del Viento or Plaza of the Wind, and visible at all times.

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linkogecko

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Michelle Cassidy, steveleibforth, xwjy6kw54w

  • Michelle Cassidy
  • steveleibforth
  • xwjy6kw54w

Published

April 21, 2020

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  • https://m.facebook.com/coralsuitesbucerias/posts/2168970929983032
  • http://pvangels.com/news/2546/bucerias-unveils-new-divers-statue-community-icon
  • http://notivallarta.com/2014/06/17/presentan-la-estatua-del-buzo-en-bucerias/
'El Buzo' ('The Diver')
28 Venustiano Carranza
Bucerías, 63732
Mexico
20.756133, -105.34106
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Reindeer of La Cruz

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mexico

Mexico

North America

Places 594
Stories 60

Nearby Places

Reindeer of La Cruz

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mexico

Mexico

North America

Places 594
Stories 60

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