About Secret History

Commentary on Latin America.
Mostly about Mexico - but not always.
Designed to encourage readers to learn about
the apparently "secret history" of 500 million people
spread across two continents
- but not always.
You can always count on a little snark.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Out with Tollotzin and the Revolution, in with the Torre

Mexico is building a tower to celebrate Independence - the state of Mexico, that is. While Mexico City's massive Torre Bicentenario is like a far-left historian's interpretation of the Revolution (a great idea but poorly executed and mired in "irregularity" and controversy), Toluca is going ahead with its own Torre Bicentenario. It will be on the highway coming into Toluca from DF and will replace the Puerta Tollotzin. Though Torre, I would think, might be an exageration - it looks like a really tall Car and Driver award.

Puerta Tollotzin is an interesting (and I think very striking sculpture from the air) modernist portrayal of pre-contact deity. What struck me was the interesting way all of this is done. Puerta Tollotzin was the product of a contest in which the UNAM architecture faculty won the design. Modernity meets indigenous Mexico as portrayed by Mexico City - any historic parallels, Bueller? To continue the rhyming, we see the planned replacement of the monument by a tower designed by local architects and that looks more at independence, not at the Revolution.

No comments: