Maria Kristina Zubia

The statue of Maria Cristina stands on a tall, ornate stone pedestal in the center of the square, wearing the high collar and formal dress of a nineteenth-century queen. She ruled Spain as regent for her young son after her husband died, and her frequent summer visits to this coastal city transformed it into an aristocratic vacation spot. When the bridge nearby was completed in nineteen oh five, the queen herself cut the ribbon, officially turning the city into the summer capital of the monarchy.