Statue of Heraclio Niz Mesa "Pollo de Arrecife"

Reef Chicken"
Author: Rigoberto Camacho
Gift. Rafael Juan González Robayna - Councilor for Culture of the Arrecife City Council, inaugurated this sculpture in honor of the figure of Don Heraclio Niz Mesa "Pollo de Arrecife" on July 29, 2017.
Heraclio Niz Mesa "Reef Chicken". A lovely man who dedicated himself daily to the development of this city, he took the name "Pollo de Arrecife" from his time in Canarian wrestling, a sport in which he was one of the greats of his time. In 1958 he left Canarian wrestling to dedicate himself fully to the profession of municipal policeman in Arrecife, becoming Sergeant and Chief of the Municipal Police, where he especially stood out for his kindness, simplicity, interest in promoting the needs of others. and the unconditional support of our customs.
His public recognition was so great that in 1964 Don Manuel Fraga Iribarne, Minister of Information and Tourism, awarded him the Medal of Merit in Tourism. Later, in 1974, he received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Cisneros. Later, in 2002, he received the award of "Sports Legend" and was classified as the most popular person in Lanzarote.El Pollo de Arrecife, a multifaceted character, acted as a press agent, also had to act in the cinema and acted in several films, up to twenty, the most important of them being"A Million Years Ago" in 1966, with Raquel Welch.

In 2017 the life-size figure of Heraclio Niz Mesa, el "Pollo de Arrecife", was unveiled in 'Calle Real'. It is a tribute to the former police chief of Arrecife, who was also a famous wrestler (Lucha Canaria) and also had a career as an actor.

City Police Officer Heraclio Niz Mesa
He was a popular figure in the city in the 1960s and 1970s due to his friendliness and was a local celebrity on the island under his wrestling nickname El Pollo de Arrecife ("The Reef Chicken" or simply "Chicken of Arrecife").