The myths behind the marble
Prado Street, one of the most populous in Havana, has the privilege of housing the India Fountain
By: Ana Margarita Sánchez Soler, asanchez@enet.cu
Our city is full of charms. Sometimes the accelerated pace of life prevents us from noticing them. We walk the same paths over and over again, sometimes ignoring the presence of monuments or plates. Each sculptural work located in the streets of the capital has a piece of stories and you have to know how to find them.
Prado Street, one of the most populous in Havana, has the privilege of housing the India Fountain. Many know it by that name which combines the art of sculpture with engineering. On the other hand, that is not the only name that it has, it was also distinguished as the Noble Havana Fountain.
Both names bring us closer to the historical background that sustains this work made by Giuseppe Gaggini. The Italian sculptor took as reference a character that comes from the myths of primitive origin. It is about the Havana India that, according to certain legends, united its life to that of the cacique called Habaguanex.
In 1837 the expression of a woman, whose existence nobody can accrete, was frozen and her silhouette remains in the imagination of many due to this work. It is undeniable that the legends go deep and each time finds its way to leave traces of them. Although many have come by oral tradition, the source paints the sculptural exercise as an effective way of passing on stories.
This work has an approximate height of three meters and this allegory of Cuban indigenous civilizations is also integrated with other figures. Four dolphins and some shells accompany the Indian woman, creating a set of structures that well remind us of our insularity.
As a guardian of Prado Street, this marble woman raises her feathered crown waiting for the attention of passers-by. She looks at us and expands the spell of mythical love stories. Some know the passion for their beloved and convinced they give faith of it, others prefer to build new fables. The essential lies in letting yourself be seduced and reverence her with the gesture of a glance.
Translated by ESTI