Birth of the New World

Birth of the New World is a monumental bronze sculpture on the Atlantic coast at Arecibo, Puerto Rico, rising about 360 feet and, after its 2016 completion there, becoming the tallest sculpture in North America, the United States, and the Western Hemisphere. Designed by Zurab Tsereteli to mark the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s first voyage, it depicts Columbus with the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María crossing the Atlantic. Built from 2,750 bronze and steel pieces, it endured decades of failed proposals, storage, and controversy in several cities and in Puerto Rico before finally being assembled at Barrio Islote, where it remains both a striking landmark and a deeply debated symbol.