Category Archives: Ibero-American Exhibition of 1929

All the buildings and urban elements of Seville that were generated for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, a fundamental event in the 20th century in Seville that served to transform the urban planning of the city, providing magnificent examples of turn-of-the-century architecture

ELECTRICITY SHED OFF THE 1929 PARK

This small electricity booth, with its Neo-Baroque style, is the only remainder that has survived to this day from the great amusement park that was built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. It occupied an area of almost 43,000 square meters between the avenues of La Raza and de la Palmera and at the time it was considered in quality to be on par with the best in the world. Unfortunately, despite initial plans to keep it, the park was eventually dismantled and sold. Some parts of its attractions are still preserved today in the historic amusement park of Monte Igueldo, in Bilbao.

CC BY-SA 4.0

ALLEGORIES OF IBERIA, THE GUADALQUIVIR RIVER AND THE MAGDALENA RIVER

In a small meadow inside the Garden of Earthly Delights we find these three allegorical sculptures made around 1928. They were originally made as part of a large monumental fountain that was located in what was called Plaza de los Conquistadores, in the southern sector of the city. Ibero-American Exhibition of 1929. This space was redeveloped after the Exhibition, the square and the fountain disappearing, and it is currently occupied by part of the Reina Mercedes university campus.

The allegory of Iberia occupied the central space of the fountain. It was made by the Valencian Francisco Marco Díaz-Pintado, who conceived Iberia as a female figure carved in stone about 3.5 m high. With an attitude between hieratic and solemn, she appears dressed in a wide tunic and a headdress and some jewels of clear Iberian inspiration. She seems to be directly inspired by Iberian sculptures, especially the Ladies of Elche and Baza. With her left arm she holds a large garland of flowers and fruit, symbolizing the agrarian wealth of the Peninsula.

On both sides of Iberia were the allegories of the Guadalquivir and Magdalena rivers, which today are also found in this area of the Garden of Earthly Delights. Both rivers are represented as two men, who appear naked and reclining, each showing some element that allows them to be identified.

The Allegory of the Guadalquivir River was made by Agustín Sánchez Cid and next to him we see a bull's head and a cornucopia. For its part, the Allegory of the Magdalena River is the work of José Lafita Díaz. She rests on a small alligator, a very abundant animal in this Colombian river, and we can also see various American fruits, such as pineapples.