Burro Sculpture by Jim Demetro Unveiled in Lazaro Cardenas Plaza Puerto Vallarta Municipal Government
go to original March 2, 2014

Photo Credit to Karen Neustadt

Thanks to American artist Jim Demetro, the town of Puerto Vallarta is now featuring a new piece of sculpture for their cultural heritage. Sergio Zepeda Moreno, director of the Vallarta Institute of Culture, noted that it is "a tribute to the men of Puerto Las Peñas (Puerto Vallarta's original name), who alongside their pack animals helped build the first pillars of this tourist city."

The bronze piece shows a man with his son pulling a burro in an attempt to make it walk, which has been dubbed by the sculptor as "Ándale Bernardo!" This magnificent work of art by Jim Demetro adds to his contributions of the famous "Dancers" ("Los bailarines") on the Malecon and "Woman Washing" ("La Mujer Lavando") in front of the Molino de Agua condominiums on the Old Town Boardwalk.

According to the sculptor, the inspiration for this piece came when he witnessed a man outside a restaurant with his burro braying and protesting angrily as he was attempting to get the stubborn animal to get going.

"The image seemed representative of Old Vallarta and so endearing that I decided to translate it to delight the locals and visitors who could see, through this creation, a fundamental part of the history in the State of Jalisco where the men worked to build the first houses in the area supported by their pack animals," says Jim Demetro. For this reason, he donated the sculpture to the city because of his "deep-rooted and immense love for Vallarta."

The unveiling took place on Friday at Plaza Lazaro Cardenas (home of the Saturday Old Town Farmer's Market).

The director of the Vallarta Institute of Culture, Moreno Sergio Zepeda, invites all locals and tourists to stop by the Plaza and  welcome "Bernardo" to our community.

Translated and edited by Team Angels