MonumentBarranquilla · CO
La María Mulata
La María Mulata is a striking bronze-colored sculpture perched on a four-meter pedestal in Barranquilla's Alto Prado neighborhood, created by renowned Colombian artist Enrique Grau to honor the black grackle bird that is a constant companion of Caribbean life. The monument depicts the bird mid-song, head raised skyward with wings and tail spread wide — a dramatic pose that mirrors the creature's bold, unbothered presence in courtyards, balconies, and streets throughout the coastal city. Despite its evocative name, this monument does not depict the legendary Carnival mulata woman — it celebrates the mariamulata bird itself (Quiscalus lugubris), whose glossy black plumage flashes blue-green iridescence in Caribbean sunlight. Grau, who donated sculptures of these birds to several Colombian cities, saw in them a symbol of everyday costeño life: the bird that watches over patios, perches on window ledges, and fills mornings with its song.