CENTRO CULTURAL ITUZAINGÓ
Schedule: Lunes a viernes es de 8 a 12 y de 16 a 20 hs.
Ticket cost: Entrada libre y gratuita
CULTURAL CENTER ITUZAINGÓ
Location: Corrientes Street between San Martín and Belgrano. This building dates back to approximately 1980 and is intended for social and cultural activities.
This structure was built during the implementation of the Yacyretá hydroelectric dam and was inaugurated in 1984. Its purpose was to provide a place for people working on the project to attend various types of performances. Therefore, the management of this grand theater was under the responsibility of the Yacyretá Binational Entity.
Currently, it is owned by the Municipality, which is responsible for managing and directing the large structure now called the “Cultural Center,” housing the Directorate of Culture.
The Cultural Center has a modern style, similar to the entire General Belgrano neighborhood, which consists of residences built for the entity’s executives. The structure is constructed with reinforced concrete, masonry walls, glass, sheet metal sunshades, metal carpentry, and wooden interior doors.
It consists of two floors and a basement. On the ground floor, there is the main hall for the general public’s entrance, including the reception desk for any inquiries, restrooms on both sides, an auditorium with a capacity for 400 seats, a stage with a basement for artists’ dressing rooms, where classes are also held. This hall hosts both cultural and educational activities, from cinema, theater, music, and dance to congresses, conferences, diploma ceremonies, and year-end closures, among others.
In the main hall’s upper part, there is a mural created in 1999 by the artist Atilio Ramírez, who is also the current director of culture. This mural depicts the myths and legends of the region in acrylic paint. It is 5 meters high and covers an area of 25 square meters. It features over twenty figures, including mythical creatures like the Pombero, Yacy – Yateré, Curupí, Jaguareté Abà, Karaù, Caburé, and Gurises, arranged in a fictitious theater on the banks of the Paraná River during the “Siesta de Poras” (Nap of Goblins), a time when numerous fantasy characters come to life.
Centro Cultural - Interior Mural
Pombero: A small, bald creature that roams at night, known for scaring those who don't like it but loving those who offer it tobacco, honey, or yerba mate.
Yacy Yateré: One of the most popular Guarani mythological beings, a short, blonde gnome who wanders through the forests, associated with the moon and fertility as a kidnapper of maidens.
Kurupí: A malevolent character who captures children and women, diurnal, with his heels facing each other to avert his face, notable for having extremely long genitalia, which he uses to ensnare women.
Jaguareté Abá: An Indian who transforms into a beast, with a human body, jaguar head, claw, and tail, wandering the Ibera wetlands.
Karaú: A black-feathered bird with yellow eyes, residing on the mortar. It lives in marshes and feeds on snails. Legend has it that Karaú was a handsome young man who, while seeking remedies for his sick mother, got distracted at a dance. When he learned of his mother's death, he responded callously, leading to his transformation into a mourning bird.
Caburé: A bird resembling an owl, with large yellow eyes and a sharp, penetrating cry considered the cry of death. Finding a Caburé feather is believed to bring powerful talismanic properties for luck, gambling, love, and fortune.
Additional symbols in the mural:
Pregnant girl: Symbolizing a girl impregnated by a relative without a known boyfriend, contemplating whether to tell the truth and blaming the Pombero to avoid societal stigma.
Child carrying a sibling: Signifying the rescue of a lost sibling, with the children catching birds and carrying a cage.
Exhibition room and restaurant: On the left, there's a temporary exhibition room displaying paintings, crafts, book presentations, etc. The restaurant, once run by "Tía Clara," is currently closed to the public.
On the upper floor:
Conference and workshop room: On the right, a space for conferences and workshops.
Classrooms: On the left, rooms for dance, language, theater classes, a computer room, an administrative office, and restrooms. The library was recently moved to the Anthropological Museum building.
Building facade:
Two murals created in 1998 using sgraffito and common cement.
Main Entrance Mural: "Leyenda De Itu" (Itu's Legend)
Created in October 2002 by Jorge Aguirre and Pocha Meza, local artists from Corrientes, depicting the legend of Cacique Itu's suicide due to forbidden love.
Historical Mural
A summary of Ituzaingó's history, featuring Bernardino Valle (founder of the town), the "espiador" boat, representations of the Triple Alliance War era, a gaucho with a horse and defensive weapons, a man holding the Bible representing God, various crops typical of the region, and scenes of the construction of the Yacyretá hydroelectric dam by workers.
In addition to these murals, the building includes the “Paseo de los Artesanos” (Artisans’ Walk), providing local artisans with a space to exhibit and preserve traditional products, such as leather goods, textiles, ceramics, woodcarvings, paintings, and embroidery.
