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Laçador Statue

Laçador statue is a bronze sculpture in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, showing a gaucho in traditional pilchas holding a lasso in his right hand. It is the official symbol of the city by municipal law from 1992. The work was declared a historic heritage site of Porto Alegre in 2001 and moved in 2007 from its original location at Largo do Bombeiro to its current site, O Laçador, in front of the first terminal of Salgado Filho International Airport. The statue was created by the Pelotas-born sculptor Antônio Caringi, who used folklorist Paixão Côrtes as the model for the figure. It stands 4.45 meters tall on a trapezoidal granite pedestal.

Laçador statue of a gaucho standing on a stone pedestal with a lasso in hand.
The Laçador statue rises on a stone pedestal beneath a blue sky in Porto Alegre.
April 2006 © Felipe Rech Meneguzzi · CC BY-SA 2.5
Laçador statue on a pedestal in a traffic circle, with houses, trees, and a cloudy sky behind it.
Laçador stands on a pedestal in the middle of a traffic circle.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0
Laçador statue of a man holding a coiled lasso against an overcast sky.
The Laçador monument shows a stylized man holding a lasso beneath a cloudy sky.
February 2010 © · CC BY-SA 2.0
The Laçador bronze statue shows a man with a mustache and headband looking upward against a blue sky.
The Laçador statue in Porto Alegre, shown here against a clear blue sky.
March 2019 © Luciano Lanes/PMPA · Attribution
A bearded man wearing a straw hat and patterned bandana handles grilled food with tongs beside a Laçador graphic on his leather apron.
A man prepares grilled food while wearing an apron with a Laçador graphic.
February 2026 © Governo RS · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleLaçador
TypeSculpture; monument
Alternative namesMonument to the Laçador; O Laçador

Historical context

Commission contextCreated for a 1954 competition in Porto Alegre for the Exposition of the IV Centenary of the founding of the city of São Paulo, at the invitation of the State Secretariat of Agriculture
Competition resultWon by Antônio Caringi; other submitted projects were by Vasco Prado and Fernando Corona
Original versionThe winning model was originally in plaster and was displayed in the central space of the Rio Grande do Sul pavilion; after the event it was intended to be offered to the city of São Paulo
Public receptionIt was very well received by the gaucho public, leading to popular demand for installation in Porto Alegre

Creator

ArtistAntônio Caringi
Artist originPelotas
ModelPaixão Côrtes
Model detailsA 26-year-old researcher of the rural culture of Rio Grande do Sul who posed for the artist dressed in gaucho attire and wearing his collection of gaucho clothing and accessories

Physical characteristics

Height4.45 m
Weight3.8 tonnes
PedestalTrapezoidal granite pedestal, 2.10 m high
Depicted objectA lasso in the right hand
Depicted figureA pilchado gaucho

Materials

Original version materialPlaster
Primary materialBronze

Iconography and meaning

FunctionSymbol of Rio Grande do Sul
Official statusOfficial symbol of Porto Alegre by municipal law of 1992
Symbolic statusSymbol of Porto Alegre

Location and ownership

Site descriptionThe Sítio do Laçador covers 4,000 square meters, has six differentiated spaces in the colors of Rio Grande do Sul, and is used for events and demonstrations
Relocation detailsMoved about 600 meters from its former site; the new placement is on a coxilha/mound and in a more elevated position
Relocation reasonPlanned construction of the Leonel Brizola viaduct at the former site
Relocation date11 March 2007
Original locationLargo do Bombeiro, later at Avenida dos Estados in the São João neighborhood, northern Porto Alegre
Current locationSítio do Laçador, in front of the first terminal of Salgado Filho International Airport, on Avenida dos Estados, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

History and restoration

Inauguration20 September 1958, at Largo do Bombeiro, on the 123rd anniversary of the Farroupilha Revolution
AcquisitionAcquired by the city government
Heritage statusDeclared historical heritage of Porto Alegre in 2001
Condition and restorationCracks were found in 2016; the statue was removed in September 2021 for restoration and returned in early 2022
Restoration projectOrganized by the city government through the Projeto Construção Cultural - Resgate do Patrimônio Histórico, with support from several institutions and companies; estimated cost R$ 900,000
Restoration documentationA public seminar presented the restoration stages, a book was published about the recovery work, and a documentary film directed by Jaime Lerner was announced

Significance

VisibilityThe elevated placement makes it clearly visible to people arriving in Porto Alegre via BR-116