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.