El Cenachero - Fisherman of Malaga

El Cenachero

El Cenachero, the fish seller is a bronze statue by Malagan artist Jaime Fernández Pimentel to remember the fishermen who walked the streets of Malaga selling their catch. They carried anchovies, mackerel and sardines hung over their arms in cenachero baskets woven from esparto grass ─ the same material that made mats, mule and horse panniers, rope and espadrille shoes.

The sculpture was set up in 1968 close to the harbour and was said to be modelled on Manolo “El Petaca”, a young fishermen from the village of Almayate along the coast from Malaga. El petaca was a woven wicker hamper.

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The sculpture has a plaque beneath it with a poem by Malagan poet Salvador Rueda. 

El Cenachero

Allá van sus pescadores

con los oscuros bombachos

Columpiando los cenachos

con los brazos cimbradores.

Del pregón a los clamores

hinchan las venas del cuello:

Y en cada pescado bello

se ve una escama distinta,

en cada escama una tinta

y en cada tinta un destello.

There go the fishermen

With their dark loose pants

Swinging their baskets

That hung from their arms

Calling out to sell their wares

Their neck veins swell 

And in every beautiful fish

A different scale is found

In each scale a colour

And each colour a sparkle

Thanks to Andrea Suzanna Katz for the translation