Diana Cazadora, Tijuana

Diana Cazadora is a local version of Diana the Huntress, created by Mexican sculptor Juan Fernando Olaguíbel and first unveiled in Mexico City in 1942. The figure shows the Roman goddess of the hunt drawing her bow, her body stretched forward in motion. Olaguíbel left the bow without a visible arrow, turning her target into something imagined, a detail that later inspired the legend that the arrow had been stolen on opening night.

The original statue has a dramatic backstory. Its model was Helvia Martínez Verdayes, a 16-year-old Pemex secretary who posed anonymously to protect her reputation and job. Soon after the 1942 debut, conservative critics objected to the nudity, and Olaguíbel was forced to add a bronze covering. It was removed in 1967, but the process damaged the original, leading to a new casting for Mexico City and the older version being moved to Ixmiquilpan, Hidalgo.

The Tijuana version was donated in 1987 by Ricardo Parra Montes, a local cultural promoter also linked to the city’s Wax Museum. For visitors, it is a brief stop with a strong visual presence, combining a raised setting, an open silhouette, and a backstory tied to one of Mexico’s best-known public sculptures.