Monumento a Juanito Villar, Statue in Cádiz, Spain
The Monumento a Juanito Villar is a bronze statue on Plaza de Ponce Cordones, next to the Puerta de la Caleta in Cádiz, Spain. The figure shows the cantaor seated on a traditional chair, facing the direction of his home street, Calle Ángel.
Juanito Villar, born in Cádiz in 1947, spent his life devoted to the flamenco singing of his city and was named Hijo Predilecto, a civic honor, in 2024. The statue was unveiled in September 2025 and made by local sculptor Manuel Jesús Sánchez Parra, who worked on it for five months.
The bronze statue shows Juanito Villar seated on a chair, captured in a pose from his most active years as a singer. The pedestal carries verses by flamenco poet Francisco López-Cepero García, celebrating Cádiz and the art of singing.
The statue stands near Playa de la Caleta, one of the most visited beaches in Cádiz, making it easy to include in a walk along the waterfront. Right next to it is the Peña Flamenca Juanito Villar, so the visit can naturally connect to the local flamenco scene.
When the statue was unveiled, the crowd spontaneously sang Gaditano Soy, one of Juanito Villar's most recognized songs, as if the city were answering him with his own repertoire. Worth noting is that this tribute was made while he is still alive, which is uncommon for a monument of this kind.
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