Modern CDMX Tour - Art Scenes

CDMX

Modern

In the XX century, after the bloody Mexican revolution, the country went though a process of economic expansion and modernization culminating with the Olympics Games of 1968 and the World Cup of 1970; the time when Mexican culture reached the masses and so do Mexican artist like Diego Rivera and Luis Barragán — and today you can go back to the retro pink Mexican days.

Time period: 1930s-1970s

Movie/book: The Proposal 2020/periódico El Universal

Soundtrack: Agustin Lara/Jose Jose’s music

Fashion: pink and blue outfit, polo shirt, plus a geometric foulard

Budget:

Lance Wyman and Eduardo Terrazas: Mexico 68 Olympics Transport Map Poster; CDMX, 1968

This tour would take you through the western side of the city hunting for some mid-modern houses built in the first part of the XX century, plus different buildings done or used during the Olympics Games of 1968. The area is characterized by Brutalist/Mid-modern buildings, streets with potholes and bright walls (with murals or graffiti). During the “Mexican Miracle” the city went from 1 million inhabitants in the 30s to 9 million in the 70s; from getting destroyed in the revolution to being a center for WWII refugees; from being a small industrial city to a global modern metropolis with: highways, suburbs and skyscrapers. Because of the peace times and political stability money could now be invested in the city and emblematic projects like: the Torre Latinoamericana, Ciudad Universitaria (UNAM), the apartment complex of Tlatelolco and the first highway, El Periférico (a highway that makes you feel you are playing Mario Kart) got built. The European avant-gardes and the New York abstract expressionism reached Mexico through: architects like Juan O'Gorman (known for its functional geometric buildings) or Luis Barragán (known for its colorful and “spiritual” buildings); artist like Rufino Tamayo, who did colorful dramatic compositions or David Alfaro Siqueiros who did warm and fluid paintings/murals; plus writers like Octavio Paz (who won the Nobel Prize of Literature in 1990). But the modern spirit not only came through Mexican hands, it also came through immigrants particularly women like: the artists Leonora Carrignton from Britain or the Spanish Remedios Varo, the Hungarian photographer Kati Horna, the Cuban furniture designer Clara Porset, or the male Spanish film director Luis Buñuel. Cubism, surrealism, minimalism and modern architecture became more colorful and mystical in Mexico. The economic growth of the country and its neutrality during the Cold War allowed it to host the Olympic Games of 1968, the first color televised one that became known for its psychedelic aesthetic. The architect Pedro Ramirez Vázquez oversaw the whole program hiring the American designer Lance Wyman to do the logo and pictographs plus a handful of architects to design the Estadio Universitario, Estadio Azteca, the Olympic Village and the indoor arena El Palacio de los Deportes. And just like that the Mexican modern esthetic was born consisting of: geometric patterns, bold colors (particularly blue and pink) and clean lines. Another icon of the retro Mexican days are the beetles (manufactured by Volkswagen in the neighboring city of Puebla since the 60s) it became the standard taxi of Mexico City by 1971. The “1980s oil glut” plus the corruption within the PRI party brought to an end the Mexican Miracle and led the rise of the Mexican narco state. The tour suggest visiting 3 iconic modern houses in the morning, one design by Juan O Gorman and the other 2 by Luis Barragán; 2 buildings built for the Olympics plus a museum during the afternoon; and to end the day a visit to the first skyscraper of the city plus a drive to and around Las Torres de Satélites (used during the road cycling events of the olympics and designed by Barragán).