First Mate

In the heart of Barceloneta, on the corner of Carrer del Baluard, is a picturesque and peculiar monument: el Negre de La Riba. The sculpture is a replica of a figurehead rescued in the mid-19th century from a ship stranded on what was then the pier of La Riba in Barceloneta. Dating from the 16th or 17th century, the ship had been brought to the port to be dismantled. The figurehead caught the attention of local tavern owner Francesc Bonjoch, who decided to keep the sculpture, hanging it by the door of his business. Because of its poor state of conservation, it was thought that the figure represented a man of sub-Saharan origin and was thus given the title "el Negre de La Riba."

Throughout the years it became an icon and "boogieman" for the people of Barceloneta. Children were told to be careful what they did or the "Negre de La Riba" would take them (Vejas d’ésser bon minyó si no vols que se t’emporti lo negre de La Riba). The figurehead was passed from generation to generation in the Bonjoch family until a resident of El Carmel, Josep Morages, bought it in 1919. Morages placed "el Negre"’ on the façade of his residency and it is said that for years after, locals from Barceloneta would make the trip to El Carmel to visit its new abode.

"El Negre" was finally bequeathed to the Museu Naval de l’Institut Nàutic de la Mediterrània in 1934 and then passed to the Museu Marítim in 1936. It was the restoration team at the maritime museum that revealed the true identity of the figurehead. The sculpture in fact represents a Native American warrior; wearing reindeer skin boots and an arrow slung across his back. However, other elements of his clothing show a more colonial influence, such as the loose shirt and buckled belt. ‘El Negro’ was then converted into a polychrome statue for display in the museum, highlighting its Native American origins.

In 2003, to mark the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the neighborhood of Barceloneta, two local artists were commissioned to create a replica of the statue to be returned to the seaside community, depicting the black figure rescued by Bonjoch.

Location: Carrer de Baluard, Barceloneta.