La Maestra Statue

Did you ever hear of a teacher so dedicated she walked barefoot through mud to reach her students? Right here in Plaza Lafone stands La Maestra, a bronze statue commemorating just such a woman. La Maestra statue isn’t just a figure; it’s a symbol of dedication. It represents a teacher from Cerro who, in the early 20th century, journeyed to the Martori house, a makeshift school in the Pantanoso area. The school was known as Escuela Yugoslavia and it was said that she never missed a class. Even when the Pantanoso area became a muddy mire, this determined educator would remove her shoes, traverse the muck, and then wash and re-shoe before teaching. She believed in presenting herself with dignity, ensuring her appearance didn’t reflect the difficult journey. La Maestra statue, sculpted by Severino Pose and inaugurated in 1930, captures this spirit, depicting a woman reading with a young girl by her side. Pose, born in Montevideo in 1894, studied under José Belloni. He even received a scholarship to further his studies in Europe for four years. This statue, however, became a target of vandalism. The city removed the damaged La Maestra, believing restoration impossible without the original molds. Eventually, with the family’s permission, sculptor Rubens Fernández meticulously pieced La Maestra back together using archival photographs. The missing head of the teacher, the child’s head, and the teacher’s foot were all recreated. Today, La Maestra statue stands again in Plaza Lafone, a testament to the unwavering dedication of educators and the power of community to restore what was lost.