The figure of the Expo 92 mascot, placed on June 11th next to the Barqueta bridge, was torn down during the early hours of Sunday. Only remnants of the anchoring and signs of a struggle remain on the stone bench where it was seated.
In the early hours of Sunday, one of the most recent symbols of the Expo 92 legacy in Seville was taken away. The statue of Curro, the iconic mascot of the Universal Exposition, has disappeared from the Barqueta bridge, where the City Council had installed it just a month ago, on June 11th. The stone bench on which the figure rested was found empty, with only the marks of a struggle and the remnants of its anchoring.
The disappearance occurred between midnight on Saturday and the early hours of Sunday. According to municipal sources, the statue was still in place around midnight, but by dawn, there was no trace left. The state of the bench and the remnants of the base suggest it was forcibly removed. The City Council, consulted early in the afternoon, was still unaware of the information.
A tribute that lasted only a month
The installation of Curro was part of the redevelopment of the Cartuja area, a zone that had suffered significant urban deterioration for years. The figure, seated on a stone bench, was intended to be a tribute to the sentimental memory of the city and a nod to the millions of visitors that Expo 92 attracted to Seville. The municipal action also included the restoration of the ornamental fountains from the Expo and the restoration of the mural Verbo América, by Chilean artist Roberto Matta.
The Instagram account Lost In Seville (@losti_oficial) has shared images of the empty bench and the remnants of the anchoring, generating a wave of reactions among Sevillians. Many have expressed their outrage at the loss of an element that was already becoming part of the urban landscape. For local residents, the disappearance is a cold shower: "It's a disrespect to our history," commented a resident of Cartuja.
No clues about the statue's whereabouts
At the moment, the whereabouts of the statue are unknown. The hypotheses range from the authors taking it away to abandoning it at another location or even throwing it into the Guadalquivir river, which flows next to the bridge. The City Council has not confirmed whether it will file a complaint, although all signs point to it doing so in the coming hours. The Local Police may review the security cameras in the area to try to identify those responsible.
The sculpture, life-sized and made of resin, did not have a high material value, but its sentimental and symbolic value for the city is immeasurable. Curro, designed by artist Heinz Edelmann, was the image of Expo 92 and remains an emblem for Sevillians. Its disappearance has reopened the debate on the protection of urban heritage in the Andalusian capital.
For now, the empty bench has become an improvised meeting point for those who want to show their support. Some residents have left flowers and messages of encouragement. The City Council, for its part, is already considering the possibility of replacing the figure, although there are no specific deadlines. Meanwhile, the question that lingers in the air is whether Curro will return to sit on his bench or if, like so many other symbols, he has vanished forever.
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