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Memorial to Victims of Violence in Mexico

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Memorial to Victims of Violence in Mexico
Memorial a las víctimas de violencia en México
Memorial a las Víctimas de la Violencia en México (11002953193).jpg
The memorial in 2013
Location
Coordinates19°25′30″N 99°11′57″W / 19.42500°N 99.19917°W / 19.42500; -99.19917Coordinates: 19°25′30″N 99°11′57″W / 19.42500°N 99.19917°W / 19.42500; -99.19917
LocationMexico City, Mexico
DesignerJulio Gaeta and Luby Springall (architects)
Lighteam (illumination)
TypeMemorial
MaterialSteel and concrete
Width2.4 m (8 ft) (some walls)
Height12 m (39 ft) (tallest point)
Completion date23 November 2012
Opening date5 April 2013 (2013-04-05)
Dedicated toVictims of violence in Mexico
Websitegaeta-springall.com

The Memorial to Victims of Violence in Mexico (Spanish: Memorial a las víctimas de violencia en México) is a memorial in Chapultepec, Mexico City. Its construction started in 2012 during the presidency of Felipe Calderón and it was opened on 5 April 2013, during the presidency of his successor, Enrique Peña Nieto. As its name indicates, it was dedicated to honoring those who have suffered violence in the country.

The memorial is composed of 70 steel walls that have different textures and various reflectors project light from different angles, including some underwater. The architects were Julio Gaeta and Luby Springall (through their company Gaeta Springall Arquitectos) and Lighteam was responsible for the illumination. It is described by their designers as an incomplete and living project, where citizens can write the names of the victims. Additionally, around 40 quotations related to violence and memory, by historical figures, are engraved in the walls.

The project was well-received by architecture and art publications. In 2014 the memorial won the Best Use of Color Award at the AL Light & Architecture Design Awards. However, it received polarized comments from human rights groups and society due to two factors. The first was its location at Campo Marte, operated by the Secretariat of National Defense, and the second was participation in the project by Calderón who started the Mexican drug war in 2006.

Background and history[]

Felipe Calderón served as the president of Mexico from 1 December 2006 to 30 November 2012. Days after taking office, Calderón joined the global war on drugs through the Mexican Armed Forces. During his presidency, the low-intensity conflict led to casualties of an estimated 70,000 people[a] in collateral damage, with Calderón saying that most of the fatalities were criminals.[3] In 2010, Isabel Miranda de Wallace, founder of the Alto al Secuestro association, requested from Calderón a space in which to place a memorial. Although the proposal was initially ignored, Javier Sicilia, leader of the Mexican Indignados Movement, and Julián LeBarón retook the proposal in a meeting with Calderón.[4] By 2012, Calderón spoke with relatives of the victims and talked to them about the proposal of a memorial creation.[3]

Gaeta Springall Arquitectos, owned by Julio Gaeta and Luby Springall, won the national contest to erect the memorial.[5] It was commissioned by the Procuraduría Social de Atención a las Víctimas de Delitos (Províctima), a government body later renamed as Comisión Ejecutiva de Atención a Víctimas.[6] The selected space was a 15,000 m2 (161,000 square feet)[7] field at Campo Marte, previously administered by the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA), in Chapultepec Park, Mexico City.[8] The project cost around Mex$30,000,000 (US$2,550,000) that were paid by the Secretariat of Welfare.[6][7]

Prior to construction, the architectural group took props to show where the walls should be placed. Also, they contacted Gustavo Áviles, a lighting designer and owner of Lighteam who advised them on the process.[7] Construction started on 7 September 2012 and it finished on 23 November of the same year.[9] The stelae were placed and subsequently various lighting manufacturers were contacted to present their light fixtures.[7] It was symbolically inaugurated by the Secretariat of the Interior during the last day of Calderón's presidency. However, it was not opened to the public until 5 April 2013 during the presidency of Enrique Peña Nieto, his successor.[10]

Description and meaning[]

Gaeta Springall Arquitectos on the memorial
"This memorial, like others, exposes the failures of society and materializes the permanent memory of pain. It is a memorial that materializes not to forget; it is a tribute to those who were victims and their families. It is an antidote construction against the destruction generated by violence. It is the witness in time of the broken past; it is the voice that day by day reminds us of the pain that although we want to overcome, we do not want to forget it so that it does not happen again. It is a project that translates memory into space; into a walkable, open, experiential space that transforms the absences of the missing persons into permanent presences in space and time."[b]

The Memorial to Victims of Violence in Mexico features 70 steel walls that simulate stelae (whether made of oxidized, natural, or stainless steel).[12] Their textures can be rusted or reflective.[8] According to Springall, oxidized steel was chosen because it symbolizes the scars that accumulate over time and stainless steel because of its reflective quality that acts as a mirror that duplicates what it projects.[13] In general, the walls come in various shapes and sizes, but the most common ones are 2.4 m (8 ft) wide and 12 m (39 ft) high.[7] Concrete was used for the paths and benches. Below the structures, there is a pond with water.[12] The stelae are engraved with about 40 phrases of historical figures, including Cicero, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Carlos Fuentes; they are related to themes like violence, memory, love or pain.[7] The site is wheelchair accessible.[13]

The LED lighting system has different degrees of intensity and color. Sources of illumination are located in different zones, including underwater and along the corridors. Low-lying areas are suffused with warm tones, while coloration of the higher areas is restrained. Multiple lamps illuminate the engraved-with-gold-ink phrases, trees and walkways.[7][8] As the memorial is open 24 hours a day, lighting forms a primary element at dusk. For Springall, light is essential for their artwork because it opposes dark and it symbolizes hope and life.[7]

The architects describe the memorial as a living and incomplete project, where citizens can write names of victims.[11] Springall said that no names were written because they did not know any of them.[7] Its main concept was inspired by the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Germany, and the idea to allow the bereaved to write on the walls was inspired by the graffiti of the Berlin Wall.[13] The number 70 was selected due to the symbolism of the number 7, which represents perfection in religion, and the symbolism of the number 10, which for them represents remembrance.[13]

Reception[]

The memorial received the Best Use of Color Award at the 2014 AL Light & Architecture Design Awards. Among the reviews made by the jurors, it was said that light carries a message and plays with subtlety in the delimitation of areas. For Elizabeth Donoff from Architect Magazine, lights deliver "an unspoken language of healing".[8] Kristin Feireiss, architectural, design curator and Pritzker Architecture Prize juror, said that the memorial mimetics with nature holistically, and with its "strong physical presence, extraordinary artistic sensitivity and poetic dialogue" it connects with the community.[11] For Samuel Cochran of Architectural Digest, the walls call "for remembrance and reflection" and compared them to works done by Richard Serra.[14] Jesús Tovar of El Siglo de Torreón described it as a "simple, humble, sober, integrated and different" work that plays with lights and nature to fill empty spaces.[15] Expansión gave it a honorific mention among the best works of the year.[16] It was listed by Vice as one of the Best in Architecture works in 2013.[17]

Nevertheless, the project received negative comments from human rights groups and society members, who commented on the vagueness as to whom the monument is dedicated, and its location.[1][7] Eduardo Vázquez from the Mexican Indignados Movement considered it an illegitimate monument built in a military zone and that it does not represent the victims. He further said that it was irrelevant as its creation was a will of Calderón.[18] The movement originally proposed to carry out hearings on where to place the memorial as well as the creation of a census with names of victims. Both requests were rejected.[10] Sicilia commented that it was better to take appropriation of the Estela de Luz and transform it into the "Center of Memory".[19] He also compared it to a mass grave.[20] Architect  [es] expected the monument to be forgotten due to the lack of social participation as a "memorial only has value to the extent that it has meaning".[20] Relatives of the victims considered it a provocation to place it in a military location since multiple casualties occurred because of them.[21] María de Vecchi, member of the H.I.J.O.S. México organization, said that the project was similar to a governmental façade as crimes remain in impunity.[22]

Some organizations on the other hand were more positive. Félix Hernández Guzmán, from the Comité 68 group, commented that regardless of the memorial's location next to Campo Marte, the organization has placed various plaques inscribed with the names of victims of the Tlatelolco massacre there.[22] Initially, Miranda de Wallace supported the installation as she considered it to be an open place in which to reflect and to look to the future.[23] By 2015, she said that the artwork lost its initial intention since it does not raise awareness about the violence in the country and the government does not render the memorial any importance.[22] In addition to Miranda de Wallace, Alejandro Martí of México SOS was present during the inauguration;[24] there, he commented that the memorial should represent a common fight to ensure that there are no more victims.[25]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Officially, from December 2006 to September 2011, 47,515 conflict-related deaths were reported. Reports do not include missing persons.[1] After that date, Calderón's government stopped publishing information related to the casualties.[2]
  2. ^ Original text in Spanish: "Este memorial, como otros, expone las fallas de una sociedad y materializa el permanente recuerdo del dolor. Es un memorial que materializa el no olvido; es un homenaje a quienes fueron víctimas y a sus familiares. Es una construcción antídoto contra la destrucción que genera la violencia. Es el testigo en el tiempo del pasado roto; es la voz que día a día nos recuerda el dolor que si bien queremos superar, no queremos olvidarlo para que no se vuelva a repetir. Es un proyecto que traduce la memoria convertida en espacio; en un espacio caminable, abierto, experiencial, que transforma las ausencias de las personas desaparecidas en presencias permanentes en el espacio y en el tiempo."[11]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Cave, Damien (22 August 2013). "These Walls Speak, Recalling Victims of Violence". The New York Times. Mexico City. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Monumento a víctimas de violencia". El Heraldo (in Spanish). Associated Press. 7 April 2014. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Mexico Drug War Memorial Angers Relatives". Sky News. 6 April 2013. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  4. ^ Simonnet, Carole (30 September 2012). "Memorial sin víctimas" [Memorial without victims]. vLex (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  5. ^ "To Design, To Remember: Memorial to Victims of Violence in Mexico by Gaeta Springall Arquitectos". Ness Magazine. 16 April 2020. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  6. ^ a b Saldívar, Alejandro (4 June 2018). "Memorial a las víctimas de la violencia: un tufo a guerra, a despilfarro y lo peor... a olvido" [Memorial to Victims of Violence: a whiff of war, squandering and worst of all... forgetfulness]. Proceso (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Minutillo, Josephine (16 August 2014). "Memorial to Victims of Violence in Mexico". Architectural Record. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022. (free access to the magazine is at Issuu Archived 4 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine)
  8. ^ a b c d Donoff, Elizabeth (25 August 2014). "2014 AL Design Awards: Memorial to the Victims of Violence, Mexico City". Architect Magazine. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  9. ^ Sánchez, Mayela (4 April 2013). "Memorial a Víctimas: el proyecto, la polémica y la alternativa" [Memorial to Victims of Violence in Mexico: the project, the polemic and the alternative]. Aristegui Noticias (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  10. ^ a b "El Memorial a las Víctimas, la última obra de Calderón, abre este viernes" [The Memorial to Victims, Calderón's last project, opens this Friday]. Expansión (in Spanish). 5 April 2013. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  11. ^ a b c "Memorial a las víctimas de violencia en México" [Memorial to Victims of Violence in Mexico] (in Spanish). ArquitecturaPanamericana.com. 2016. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Memorial to Victims of Violence in Mexico". Architizer. 13 May 2013. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  13. ^ a b c d "Inauguran el Memorial a las Víctimas de la Violencia" [Memorial to Victims of Violence in Mexico opened]. Expansión (in Spanish). 4 April 2013. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  14. ^ Cochran, Samuel (31 October 2013). "Gaeta-Springall Arquitectos Designs the Memorial to Victims of Violence in Mexico". Architectural Digest. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Memorial a las víctimas de la violencia de Gaeta-Springall Arquitectos" [Memorial to Victims of Violence by Gaeta-Springall Arquitectos]. El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 2 August 2015. Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  16. ^ "Memorial a las Víctimas de la Violencia" [Memorial to Victims of Violence in Mexico]. Expansión (in Spanish). 14 August 2013. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  17. ^ Architizer (19 December 2013). "(Best of 2013) The Year In Architecture". Vice. Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  18. ^ Camacho Servín, Fernando (19 March 2013). "El Memorial de las Víctimas de la Violencia, despreciado, en el olvido y sin inaugurarse" [The Memorial to the Victims of Violence, scorned, forgotten and uninaugurated]. La Jornada (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  19. ^ Gutiérrez, Sáshenka (5 April 2013). "México inaugura el controvertido Memorial a las Víctimas de la Violencia" [Mexico inaugurates controversial Memorial to the Victims of Violence]. El País (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  20. ^ a b De Llano, Pablo (19 August 2012). "Un monumento a las víctimas de la guerra al narcotráfico crea discordia en México". El País (in Spanish). Mexico. Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  21. ^ Altamirano, Claudia (16 January 2018). "El sexenio en que Reforma se convirtió en el Paseo de las Víctimas" [The period in which Reforma became the Victims Boulevard]. Animal Político. Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  22. ^ a b c Rivera, Astrid (13 December 2015). "Memorial de 22 mdp, una obra en el olvido" [22 million pesos memorial, a forgotten work]. El Universal (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  23. ^ "Inauguran Memorial a las Víctimas de la Violencia; difieren sobre desaparecidos" [Memorial to the Victims of Violence Inaugurated; mixed opinions on missing persons]. Informador.mx (in Spanish). 6 April 2013. Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  24. ^ "Martí y Wallace asistirán a presentación de Memorial de Víctimas" [Martí and Wallace to attend the presentation of the Memorial to Victims]. Aristegui Noticias (in Spanish). 4 April 2013. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  25. ^ "Memorial representa dolor de todos los mexicanos, señala Martí" [Memorial represents pain of all Mexicans, says Martí]. El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). El Universal. 5 April 2013. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.

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