Architecture, sculpture and sustainability converge above the yungas.
SAN SALVADOR DE JUJUY | JULY 2026
The Lola Mora Cultural Center has officially opened in San Salvador de Jujuy, presenting one of Argentina’s most ambitious recent combinations of architecture, cultural heritage and environmental design. Conceived by renowned Argentine architect César Pelli, the building appears to rise above the surrounding yungas through an elevated structure, expansive transparent walls and a roof that seems to float over the landscape. The institution houses six restored sculptures by Lola Mora and seeks to strengthen Jujuy’s cultural infrastructure while expanding the province’s tourism offer through a destination capable of attracting visitors from Argentina and abroad. Its inauguration also carries exceptional architectural significance because the center became the final project accepted by Pelli before his death in 2019.
The project originated during the administration of former Jujuy governor Gerardo Morales, who wanted to create a permanent setting for sculptures that had formed part of the province’s heritage for decades. In 2017, Morales secured a meeting with Pelli at the architect’s studio in New Haven, where an extended conversation persuaded him to undertake the commission despite his limited availability. Pelli developed a structure inspired by the shape of a sculptor’s chisel, transforming the artistic instrument into the central concept of the building’s layout and visual identity. Visitors enter through what represents the handle of the tool, crossing a long access bridge before arriving at a wider interior volume that opens toward the surrounding vegetation.
The center’s transparent façade is composed of approximately 1,565 square meters of glass panels reaching heights of up to nine meters. The specialized iron-free glass was selected to preserve the clarity of the landscape and prevent the material from altering the colors of the Jujuy sky, allowing visitors to experience the natural environment as part of the exhibition. The building was designed under a Net Zero concept and could theoretically operate independently from the conventional electrical network through a combination of renewable-energy technologies. Walkable solar panels cover sections of the roof and exterior flooring, while a 30-meter wind tower contributes to the sustainable system and resembles a ceremonial bell tower from a distance.
Materials used throughout the center establish a continuous dialogue between modern engineering and the natural identity of northern Argentina. Whitewood flooring, hand-chiseled exterior stone, recycled PET acoustic treatments and dark Pacará wood were selected to connect the building with its geographical setting while maintaining the technical requirements of a contemporary cultural institution. Construction began in August 2022 under the direction of Panedile, an Argentine company also associated with major cultural projects in Corrientes and San Juan. The complex includes a gallery for temporary exhibitions, an interpretation center, a library, a shop and a gastronomic wing, creating a broader public destination rather than a museum dedicated exclusively to permanent sculpture.
At the heart of the new institution are six works by Dolores “Lola” Mora, one of the most important and controversial figures in the history of Argentine sculpture. Five allegorical figures—Progress, Liberty, Justice, Peace and Labor—are displayed alongside a sculptural pair of lions, all restored and illuminated within the architectural setting created specifically for them. The works were originally installed at Argentina’s National Congress but were later removed during a period of conservative political pressure and moral criticism directed not only at their artistic form but also at Mora herself. Their permanent exhibition in Jujuy therefore represents both the preservation of provincial heritage and a symbolic restoration of an artist whose career was repeatedly challenged by social restrictions imposed on women working in public art.
Born in 1866 in Trancas, near the boundary between Tucumán and Salta, Mora developed her early skills in drawing and painting before deciding to pursue sculpture, a discipline largely closed to women at the time. A scholarship allowed her to study in Rome, where she entered the artistic circles of Paolo Michetti and Giulio Monteverde and later established a workshop capable of receiving major official commissions. Her best-known work, the Fountain of the Nereids, generated controversy after arriving in Buenos Aires in 1902 because its nude figures were considered inappropriate for the originally proposed location in Plaza de Mayo. The fountain was eventually installed elsewhere and later transferred to Costanera Sur, reflecting the resistance that followed Mora throughout much of her public career.
Mora later developed a direct relationship with Jujuy through her work as a public official involved in urban design, while the sculptures removed from Congress were eventually installed at the provincial Government House. Their transfer to the new cultural center places them within an institution capable of explaining both their artistic qualities and the political history surrounding their displacement. The restored pieces combine the formal discipline of classical sculpture with allegorical themes related to freedom, justice, peace, progress and human labor. Together, they present an artistic vocabulary connected to the aspirations of the Argentine republic while preserving the distinctive sensitivity and technical strength of their creator.
Current governor Carlos Sadir completed the project despite financial limitations and changing economic conditions, maintaining continuity with the cultural and tourism strategy initiated by the previous provincial administration. Jujuy officials view the center as part of a broader effort to reposition the province through memorable experiences, major public works and attractions that integrate culture with its internationally recognized natural landscapes. Beyond its potential economic impact, the opening establishes a permanent institutional space for education, temporary exhibitions, historical interpretation and public engagement with Argentine art. The Lola Mora Cultural Center now stands simultaneously as César Pelli’s architectural farewell, a tribute to a pioneering sculptor and a new cultural landmark suspended above the landscapes of northern Argentina.
A final architectural vision now safeguards an artist’s enduring legacy.