World Art Utopia

Neptuno del Puntón (Neptune of the Puntón)

The Neptune statue Neptuno del Puntón standing in the sea off Melenara, Telde, holding a trident above the waves.
Artwork FileTelde, Spain

Neptuno del Puntón (Neptune of the Puntón)

SeenFeb 2025

Luis Arencibia · 2001 · Telde

Photo: Canarina / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). Resized.

Neptuno del Puntón is a bronze Neptune by Telde-born artist Luis Arencibia, set on a rocky outcrop just off Playa de Melenara so that the god seems to rise from the sea. It was inaugurated on 1 September 2001. A storm on 11 November 2010 tore off its right arm and trident, and it stood without them until April 2017, when a crane crew welded them back on with stainless steel bars. Source Source Source Reported

Seen Feb 2025 — evidence dated 2025-02-08. Reported in place Feb 2025. Source Reported

💡 4 things to know

  1. Seven years without a tridentLa Provincia says the sea tore off the right arm and trident in November 2010 and they were only put back in April 2017. Source Reported
  2. A crane for surgeryLa Provincia says a crane with a 50-metre arm lifted the welders out to the statue; the pieces to be welded weighed over 200 kilos. Source Reported
  3. Greased against climbersA University of Valencia blog says the statue has been covered in grease to stop swimmers from climbing it. Source Reported
  4. Crabs at his feetLa Provincia reported that red crabs were seen at the base in 2024, a small marine ecosystem around the statue. Source Reported

📍 Where it is

El Puntón, south end of Playa de Melenara, Telde, Gran Canaria, Spain. Source Source Reported

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🗓️ Sightings

  1. 201720 Apr

    Arm and trident welded back on · La Provincia

  2. 201721 Apr

    Neptune whole again at Melenara · Canarias7

  3. 202516 Jan

    Melenara beach and its Neptune · Atlántico Hoy

  4. 20258 Feb

    Called the world's most fascinating sculpture · La Provincia

Green stamps mark dated photographs; amber stamps mark records or reports; red stamps mark loss. Publication dates are not camera dates.

🗞️ In the sources

La Provincia20 April 2017

Neptuno recupera el brazo derecho y su tridente y vuelve a reinar en Melenara

“Neptuno vuelve a reinar con todo su esplendor en la playa de Melenara”

Neptune reigns again in full splendour at Melenara.

Read the source →

✅ The facts

Artist
Luis Arencibia, born in Telde Source Checked
Inaugurated
1 September 2001 Source Checked
Material
Bronze Source Checked
Height
4.20 m (Escultura Urbana, UV blog) or 2.40 m (Atlántico Hoy) Source Source Source Conflicting
Storm damage
11 November 2010: right arm and trident lost Source Checked
Repair
April 2017, €23,184 Source Checked
Artist's death
2021 in Madrid; later Hijo Predilecto of Telde Source Reported

🔗 Related

All sources & image credits

Last checked: 29 October 2026. How we verify art