2010 will be a very special year for the Aztec nation for it will mark the bicentennial of their Mexico Lindo y Querido (beautiful & beloved) for all Mexicans. During 2010, 100 years since the Mexican Revolution and 200 since the struggle & victory for the nation’s independence will be commemorated. Many celebrations & ceremonies in order to begin the count down have already taken place & many more festivals, projects, and plans have been elaborated & are are set to take off just for this extraordinarily grand occasion.
One of the illustrious & patriotic projects set to inaugurate during the celebration of the the Mexican bicentennial is :Torre del Bicentinario = Bicentennial Tower is currently in progress & is expected to be completed by 2010 in the center of Mexico City. The tower will beat the current holder of the title : “Latin America’s tallest building” Torre Mayor which is 738 feet (55 stories) also located in Mexico City. Torre del Bicentenario will be 984 feet tall and 85 stories. The building will be home to offices, restaurants , a gym, a museum, & much more, including a convention center. The building is composed of two pyramidal shaped stacked together.
The part where the two pyramids intersect is the location of a glass sky lobby which will allow magnificent views of the park adjent to the building and spectacular views of the city stretching out before it. The cost= an estimated $600 million. The design is said to be product of Rem Koolhaas famous for his designs of the Prada stores in New York & L.A as well as the Seattle Central Library. The tower will commemorate the start of the Mexican battle for independence from Spain.
Another notable Bicentennial enterprising endeavor will be “Arco del Bicentinario” = Bicentenial Arc. The arc will be inaugurated in Mexico City. 37 of the best Mexican architects where hand selected to work on this historic national & patriotic project. Among the 37 talents: Alberto Kalach, Javier Sordo Madaleno, Enrique Norten, Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, Teodoro González de León, Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis y Fernando González Gortázar.
The Arc is set to be inaugurated Sep 15 of 2010 the eve of Mexico’s Independence day.
The arc’s bases will be set : one near “Lions’ Gate” in Chapultepec Forest & the other in Ariel Park. It will run length wise along Reform Promenade & will be set at a height between an altitude that will be between the entrance to Chapultepec Castle & “La Torre Mayor” =The Great Tower, currently the tallest building in Latin America.
Yet another occurrence linked to the celebration is the release of new money. The new money(coins & bills) has already entered into circulation and will help to illustrate very important chapters in Mexico’s history: the revolution of 1910 & the crusade for independence. National Heroes depicted on the Bicentennial coins include: Ignacio Lopez Rayon, Francisco Xavier Mina, Francisco Primo de Verdad y Ramos, Mariano Matamoros, Carlos Maria de Bustamante…. The new Bills: On the new 200 peso bill Miguel Hidalgo father of the Mexican Revolution will be depicted on the reverse the famous patriotic landmark The Angel of Independence. On the 100 peso bill the picture of a locomotive transporting revolutionaries of the armed movement that began in 1910 is depicted on the reverse part of the famous mural by David Alfaro Siqueiros entitled “From Porfirisum to Revolution”
| for more info on the coins & history of the heroes you can visit : |
| http://www.banxico.org.mx/billetesymonedas/didactico/monedas_FabCaractHis/mon_conmemorativas/mon_independencia.html |
THE BICENTENIALS WEBSITES:
http://www.bicentenario.com.mx/
http://www.bicentenario.gob.mx/index.php
http://www.torrebicentenario.com/
INFO ON THE ARC:
http://www.arcodelbicentenario.com.mx/
pictures from:
★MeGaSuPer Chido y + 
All this new and modern building going on in the heart of Mexico is nice and a great step forward. At the same time the people on the Mexican/US border are struggling to survive in a decent manner. When is the Mexican government going to come to the aid of these people and start building things there?
True, you bring up a good point.