Monumento a la Raza (Mexico City)

The Monumento a la Raza is a 50 meters (160 ft) high pyramid in northern Mexico City. It is located in the intersection of Avenida de los Insurgentes, Circuito Interior and Calzada Vallejo, in the Cuauhtémoc borough.

Monumento a la Raza
Picture of a Mesoamerican-like pyramid. It is three-stories high. On top, an eagle spreads its wings; at the base, on each side of the central staircase, there is a serpent head.
The north side of the monument in 2006
19°27′52″N 99°08′33″W
LocationMexico City, Mexico
DesignerFrancisco Borbolla (engineer) and Luis Lelo de Larrea (architect)
TypePyramid
MaterialConcrete
Height50 meters (160 ft)
Beginning date1930
Completion date1940
Opening date12 October 1940
Dedicated dateDía de la Raza
Dedicated toLa Raza

The monument consists of three superimposed truncated pyramids decorated with several sculptures on the sides and an eagle on the tip. The pyramid was designed by Francisco Borbolla and the stone sculptures and its layout by Luis Lelo de Larrea. Many of the artworks were created during the Porfiriato period. The copper-and-steel eagle was cast by French animalier Georges Gardet and the bronze high reliefs were created by Mexican sculptor Jesús Fructuoso Contreras. The eagle was originally intended to be placed on top of the never-completed Federal Legislative Palace—later replaced with the Monumento a la Revolución in downtown Mexico City—, while the reliefs were based on those created for the Aztec Palace, presented in the Mexican pavilion of the 1889 Paris Exposition.

Its construction started in 1930 and was completed ten years later. It was inaugurated in 1940, on the Día de la Raza (Columbus Day), and it is dedicated to la Raza—the indigenous peoples of the Americas and their descendants. Even though the monument drew criticism from writers and historians for its choice of Porfirian components and caricaturizing Mesoamerican architecture, it contributed the area's to be known as "La Raza" and the naming of several nearby structures. The monument has been abandoned since at least 2022, as it has received minimal maintenance from the city government.

Background
Main article: Indigenismo in Mexico

At the beginning of the 20th century, Mexico was in a period of transformation. President Porfirio Díaz governed the country intermittently from 1876 to 1911. During his term, known as the Porfiriato, Díaz boosted the economy through the improvement of the railroad network and international businesses. This benefited the upper class and hacendados (landowners) but created inequality for the middle, working, and underclasses.[1] The indigenous population was seen as a problem for the country's modernization and the government sought means to facilitate their integration into the Porfirian society.[2] In 1911, Diaz was forced to resign after the Mexican Revolution broke out.[3] The conflict lasted until 1920 and the Europhile government was replaced with one that promoted the indigenismo ideology[4]—a political philosophy that exalts the Latin American indigenous population.

At the start of the 20th century, Spain adapted the Columbus Day into the Día de la Raza to celebrate the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Americas on 12 October 1942. Faustino Rodríguez-San Pedro y Díaz-Argüelles, president of the Unión Ibero-Americana promoted it and multiple Latin American countries adopted it.[5] In 1925, José Vasconcelos (1882–1959), Mexican philosopher, published the essay "The Cosmic Race", where he wrote that as the Native American genes were the last ones to be mixed with the other human races, a new race would surge to create Universópolis, where the distinctions of race and nationality would be suppressed.[6] Three years later, the Día de la Raza was officially celebrated in the country.[5]

History
The pyramid as seen from the east side. It is surrounded by several workers and wooden beams.
The pyramid under construction in the late 1930s

Construction and inauguration

The construction of the Monumento a la Raza began in 1930.[7][8] The federal project sponsored the project[9] and was designed by the engineer Francisco Borbolla and the architect Luis Lelo de Larrea.[10][11] Borbolla intended to reflect the history of Mexico in the monument;[11] Augusto Petriccioli, a Mexican architect, gave advice to Lelo de Larrea.[12] It was completed in 1940 and it was inaugurated on that 12 October—the Día de la Raza.[11]

Name and dedication

The monument is dedicated to and is named after La Raza,[7] a Spanish-language term referring to the indigenous peoples of the Americas and their descendants, used by Hispanophone Western populations that spread after the end of the Mexican Revolution and with the beginning of the Chicano Movement in the United States.[13]

La Raza is usually literally translated to English as "the race", but the phrasal sense is "the people".[13] Thus, the Monumento a la Raza is known in English by different names, including "Monument to the Race",[14] "Monument to the People",[9] "Monument to La Raza",[7] and "La Raza Monument".[15]

Description and location
Black-and-white photograph of a palace that is based on the Aztec culture.
The Aztec Palace presented by Mexico at the 1889 Paris Exposition

The Monumento a la Raza is a 50 meters (160 ft) high pyramid[10] built with three superimposed truncated pyramids[16] made of concrete.[17] It has four sides, each built with sloped smooth walls over the rafters, that are decorated as well with reliefs based on the Xochicalco's Feathered Serpent.[10]

The sculpture of the eagle on top is placed on a pedestal[10] and it is made of copper and steel.[18] It stands on a nopal plant with its wings spread; its wingspan is 5.75 meters (18.9 ft) long and it devours a 5.30 meters (17.4 ft) long snake.[10] Georges Gardet[19] designed the sculpture for the Porfirian Federal Legislative Palace.[10][20] Only the foundations had been established when Díaz was dismissed from his position as president. Years later, Mexican architect Carlos Obregón Santacilia replaced the project with the Monumento a la Revolución.[21]

Each side of the pyramid's apex features one high relief created with bronze castings by Jesús Fructuoso Contreras.[7][20] They represent the Tlatoque Itzcoatl (1380–1440), ruler of Tenochtitlan; Nezahualcoyotl (1402–1472), ruler of Texcoco; Totoquihuatzin (c. early 16th century), ruler of Tlacopan; and the last Aztec Emperor, Cuauhtémoc (c. 1497–1525).[10] Contreras cast them for the Aztec Palace, presented in the Mexican pavilion at the 1889 Paris Exposition.[7][20]

There are two staircases at the base; the south one leads to the monument's top and the north one leads to the main entrance. There are sculptures of serpent heads reminiscent of Tenochtitlan at the top of each staircase. On the remaining sides, there are two sculptures by Lelo de Larrea: Grupo de la fundación de México on the east and Grupo defensa de Tenochtitlán on the west.[10] The monument's interior was intended originally for a museum; however, the space was used for the installation of pumps and motors for the fountains on the site.[22]

The monument lies on the median strip of Avenida de los Insurgentes, near Circuito Interior and Calzada Vallejo,[23] in the colonia (neighborhood) of San Simón Tolnáhuac, in the Cuauhtémoc borough.[24] The monument can be visited daily from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.[24] Access to the monument was temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico.[25]

  • Picture of an eagle sculpture.
    A replica of the eagle on top of the monument
  • A bronze casting of the ruler Itzcoatl.
    A bronze casting of Itzcoatl (north side)
  • A bronze casting of the ruler Totoquihuatzin.
    A bronze casting of Totoquihuatzin (west side)
  • A bronze casting of the ruler Nezahualcoyotl.
    A bronze casting of Nezahualcoyotl (south side)
  • A bronze casting of the Emperor Cuauhtémoc.
    A bronze casting of Cuauhtémoc (east side)
  • A sculpture of several people standing is surrounded by several wooden beams and construction workers.
    Grupo de la fundación de México (east side)
  • A corner of the monument.
    Detail of the relief based on the Feathered Serpent

Abandonment
The north side of the pyramid in 2023. The entrance door is open and the sides (not pictured) are graffitied.

The monument was graffitied in late July 2022. Neighbors in the area reported that it has no surveillance at night.[26][27] By 2023, it was reported that as the neglect persisted, it served as an informal homeless housing facility. An altar to the Santa Muerte was also found inside.[22] Damage to some of the stone sculptures was also reported, as well as corroded metal elements.[22] For this reason, Gabriela Salido Pulido, congresswoman of Mexico City, requested the Secretary of Culture of the entity to upgrade the monument to Capital Cultural Heritage status so that constant maintenance is guaranteed.[28]

Reception

Santacilia called the Monumento a la Raza "ridiculous" and said it was a caricature of the Pre-Columbian architecture.[17] Mexican writer Nikito Nipongo (1918–2003) thought it was "espantoso" ("dreadful").[29] According to historian Mauricio Tenorio-Trillo, the monument is ironic, because it tries to depart "from the old regime's Francophilia", but it reuses many of the symbols and materials "created by the Porfirian years of experimenting in modernity and nationalism".[7] Writer Donald R. Fletcher described it as an "imposing Mayan pyramid".[14]

Thanks to the monument, the surrounding area is known as "La Raza". The nearby La Raza Hospital,[22] the La Raza metro station,[30][31] and the La Raza bus stations of the Mexico City Metrobús system (Lines 1 and 3)[32] are named after the artwork and their pictogram depicts the pyramid's silhouette.

See also

References
  1. Castañeda, Diego (8 January 2019). "¿Cómo era la desigualdad en México antes de que estallara la Revolución mexicana?" [How was inequality in Mexico before the Mexican Revolution bursted out?]. Nexos (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  2. Stavenhagen, Rodolfo (2013). "La política indigenista del Estado mexicano y los pueblos indígenas en el siglo XX" [The indigenous policy of the Mexican State and the indigenous peoples in the 20th century] (PDF) (in Spanish). National Autonomous University of Mexico. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  3. Aggarwal 1996, pp. 188.
  4. Sánchez González, Agustín (2 November 2020). "Día de Muertos, ¿tradición prehispánica o invención del siglo XX?" [Día de Muertos, custom or a 20th century invention?]. Arqueología Mexicana (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  5. De Santiago, Manuel (11 October 2022). "La raza de bronce" [The bronze race]. La Jornada (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  6. Latino USA (25 April 2014). "The Cosmic Race". NPR. Archived from the original on 22 October 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  7. Tenorio-Trillo 1996, pp. 182.
  8. Andrade, Karen (2 August 2016). "Así era la CDMX en los años 40" [This is what Mexico City was like in the 1940s]. máspormás (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  9. Burian 1997, pp. 83.
  10. "¿Qué pasó ahí?... El Monumento a la Raza" [What Happened There?... The Monumento a la Raza]. Excélsior (in Spanish). Mexico City. 18 October 2013. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  11. Moreno, Fernando (21 May 2018). "El México de Ayer: Monumento a la Raza" [Mexico's Yesterday: Monumento a la Raza]. A Quien Corresponda (in Spanish). TV Azteca (published at YouTube). Archived from the original on 28 August 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  12. Fierro Gossman 1998, pp. 27.
  13. Associated Press (13 July 2017). "Why The Term 'La Raza' Has Complicated Roots In The US". Colorado Public Radio. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  14. Fletcher 2013, pp. 84.
  15. Denness 2010, pp. 112.
  16. Romero 1994, pp. 180.
  17. Obregón Santacilia 1960, pp. 33.
  18. "Monumento a La Raza". La Verdad. 13 April 2020. Archived from the original on 16 December 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  19. "La historia de los leones de Chapultepec" [The history of the Chapultepec lions]. Chilango (in Spanish). 4 March 2016. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  20. Villasana, Carlos; Gómez, Ruth (2 January 2021). "El estilo que rescata nuestros orígenes" [The style that rescues our origins]. El Universal (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2 January 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  21. Amador Tello, Judith (19 April 2015). "El Palacio Legislativo que quedó en Monumento a la Revolución" [The Legislative Palace that remained in the Monument to the Revolution]. Proceso (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  22. Carrasco, Patricia (14 June 2023). "Demandan rescate del Monumento a La Raza; en su interior montaron un altar a la santa muerte" [Demand rescue of the Monumento a La Raza; an altar to the Santa Muerte was set up inside the monument]. La Prensa (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 16 June 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  23. Peralta, Carolina (14 January 2018). "El Monumento a la Raza que la ciudad se devoró" [The Monumento a la Raza that the city devoured] (in Spanish). Local.mx. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  24. "Monumento a la Raza" (in Spanish). Government of Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  25. Reforma (4 April 2020). "Acordona Alcaldía en CDMX parques y jardines" [City Hall in Mexico City cordons off parks and gardens]. Debate (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  26. Huitzil, Antonio (27 July 2022). "Vandalizan el monumento a La Raza, vecinos denuncian" [Monumento a la Raza vandalized, neighbors denounce]. TV Azteca (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  27. Lorenzana, Israel (29 July 2022). "VIDEOS: Vandalizan el monumento a la Raza en la CDMX" [VIDEOS: Monumento a la Raza in Mexico City vandalized]. El Heraldo de México (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 29 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  28. "El monumento a la raza podría ser declarado como patrimonio cultural" [The Monumento a la Raza could be declared a cultural heritage site]. El Capitalino (in Spanish). 30 June 2023. Archived from the original on 28 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  29. Nipongo 2001, pp. 132.
  30. "La Raza" (in Spanish). Sistema de Transporte Colectivo. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  31. "Estación La Raza del STC Metro" [Mexico City Metro's La Raza Station] (in Spanish). Secretariat of Culture. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  32. "L3: significado de estaciones" [L3: meaning of stations]. Mexico City Metrobús (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.

Bibliography
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