As Duas Marias

Two colorful, oversized statues of women wearing flamboyant dresses and patterned shawls stand on the edge of the Alameda Park. They represent Maruxa and Coralia Fandino Ricart, sisters who became local fixtures in the mid twentieth century. Every day at two o'clock, the pair walked through the city streets dressed in vibrant, mismatched outfits, talking to everyone they passed. Many residents grew up expecting to see them, and their daily ritual remains a defining image of the city's twentieth century identity.