The work Circunnavegación, by the well-known national artist Francisco Gazitúa, is a metal armillary sphere that symbolizes the circumference of the Earth. Inside it is a representation of the ship commanded by Magellan. It also contains a tribute to the indigenous people of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego and to the mythology of the Selknam people.
The President of the Republic, Sebastián Piñera, inaugurated in 2020 on the 500th anniversary of the first passage through the Strait of Magellan.
Circunnavegación is a 25-ton metal sculpture by the well-known artist Francisco Gazitúa that highlights the importance of the historic journey.
The work is inspired by an armillary sphere or spherical astrolabe, an astronomical instrument used until the end of the Middle Ages that serves as a metaphor for the globe. Inside there is a representation of the Nao Victoria, the ship commanded by Ferdinand Magellan, sailing westwards with its main mast in the position of the Earth's axis, inclined at 23 degrees.
In addition, the spheres of the Gazitúa sculpture are a tribute to the indigenous people who populated Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego more than 10,000 years ago. The luminous bodies of the work correspond to the outlines of the constellation Orion, which was part of the mythology of the Selknam people.
The President was part of the jury that selected the work on the premise that it should not only have artistic value, but also be attractive to the inhabitants and visitors of Punta Arenas.
"The great achievements and the great epics in the history of humanity are not accidental, behind them there is always a vision, a will, courage, determination and resilience," said the Head of State.