Since june 2017, Maspalomas has its own Aids Memorial, located in the middle of the Yumbo Shopping Centre, at Playa del Inglés. It represents a red ribbon bordered in black, composed by broken tiles inlaid in the ground.
The inauguration of the permanent red ribbon took place on the Christopher Street Day, on June 28th, 2017. It is located in the central area of the Yumbo Shopping Centre, on the groudflour, in a place called "Plaza de la Diversidad Dario Jaén Rivero" in tribute to Dario Jaén Rivero who was a town councillor, a gay activist and a very important and influential public figure in Maspalomas, died of Aids in 2011.
Placed in the concrete resting area amidst a succulent garden, the Maspalomas Aids Memorial includes a monolith with a bord reading :
This special place is dedicated to all people who suffer from Aids. The red ribbon is the symbol of struggle and hope. To those who have left, our memory forever...
The Maspalomas Aids Memorial was unveiled by major D. Marco-Aurelio Pérez Sánchez and president of Amigos Contra el Sida, Orlando Viera, on Christopher Street Day, June 28th, 2017, after a unanimous vote of the Municipal Plenary of the Ayuntamiento de la Villa de San Bartolomé de Tirajana on May 31th, 2016.
Much more than a simple artistic monument, the memorial is a place of meditation and homage. Visitors are invited to come and reflect, thinking of the victims of Aids and their loved ones who have passed away as a result of the disease. It is possible to bring candles, light them and leave them there to make the flame of memory shine. You can also share a picture of your visit and add a personal comment on the international website AidsMemorial.info, an initiative managed by Names Project Netherlands.
As the gay destination number 1 in Europe and gay capital of Gran Canaria, Maspalomas is proud to have its own memorial aids in the image of big cities in the world like New York, San Francisco, Munich, Brighton, Montréal, Provincetown, Amsterdam, etc. The monument is now on the must-see and must-visit list for any visitor to the south of the island.
* * *
