Scribd
Upload
48 views

The Angel of Independence: Victory Column Roundabout Paseo de La Reforma Mexico City

The Angel of Independence is a victory column located in Mexico City that was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Mexico's War of Independence. It features sculptures representing important figures and symbols from the war. The column itself stands 36 meters tall and is topped by a 6.7 meter statue of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. It is one of Mexico City's most recognizable landmarks.

Uploaded by

Cristina Solomon
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
48 views

The Angel of Independence: Victory Column Roundabout Paseo de La Reforma Mexico City

The Angel of Independence is a victory column located in Mexico City that was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Mexico's War of Independence. It features sculptures representing important figures and symbols from the war. The column itself stands 36 meters tall and is topped by a 6.7 meter statue of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. It is one of Mexico City's most recognizable landmarks.

Uploaded by

Cristina Solomon
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

The Angel of Independence

The Angel of Independence, most


commonly known as “El Ángel” and officially
known as “Columna de la Independencia”, is a
victory column located on a roundabout over
Paseo de la Reforma in downtown of Mexico
City.

It was built to commemorate the


centennial of the beginning of Mexico's War of
Independence, celebrated in 1910. After several
years it was transformed into a mausoleum for
the most important heroes of that war. It is one
of the most recognizable landmarks in Mexico City. It is quite similar to the
Victory Column from Berlin.

The base of the column is quadrangular, each vertex having a bronze


sculpture symbolizing Law, War, Justice and Peace. Originally there were
nine steps leading to the base, but due to the sinking of the ground
fourteen more steps were added. On the main face of the base, which faces
downtown Mexico City, there is the following inscription: "The Nation to
the Heroes of Independence". In front of this inscription is a bronze statue
of a giant lion led by a child, representing strength and the innocence of
youth during War but docility during Peace.

Next to the column there is a group of marble statues representing


some of the heroes from the War of
Independence.

The column itself is 36 meters high. The


structure is made of steel covered with
quarried stone decorated with garlands, palms
and rings with the names of Independence
figures. Inside the column is a two-hundred
step staircase which leads to a viewpoint
above the capital. The Corinthian-style capital is adorned by four eagles
with extended wings from the Mexican coat of arms used at the time.

Crowning the column there is a 6.7 meter statue by Enrique Alciati of


Nike, the Greek goddess of victory (Winged Victory), like other similar
victory columns around the world. It is made of bronze, covered with
24Kgold and weighs 7 tons. In her right hand the Angel holds a laurel crown
above Miguel Hidalgo's head, symbolizing Victory, while in her left she
holds a broken chain, symbolizing Freedom.

The construction of the monument was ordered in 1902 by President


Porfirio Díaz. The architect Antonio Rivas Mercado was in charge with the
design of the monument, while the actual construction was supervised by
Mexican engineers Gonzalo Garita and Manuel Gorozpe. All the sculptures
were made by the Italian artist Enrique Alciati.

An eternal flame honoring these heroes was installed in the base of


the column at the order of President Emilio Portes Gil in 1929.

The monument suffered some damages during an earthquake on July


28th, 1957 when the sculpture of the Winged Victory fell to the ground and
broke into several pieces. The sculptor José Fernández Urbina was in charge
with the restoration, which lasted more than one year. The monument was
reopened on September 16th, 1958. It survived, undamaged, the
devastating earthquake of September 19th, 1985.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy