Benito Juárez Hemicycle

The Benito Juárez Hemicycle is a Neoclassical monument located at the Alameda Central park in Mexico City, Mexico and commemorating the Mexican statesman Benito Juárez. The statue of Juárez is flanked by marble Doric columns. There are two allegorical female statues next to Juárez, representing the fatherland and law.[1] The pedestal bears the inscription "Al benemerito Benito Juárez la Patria" (Spanish: "To the meritorious Benito Juárez, the Homeland").

Benito Juárez Hemicycle
Benito Juárez Hemicycle
LocationAlameda Central park
Nearest cityMexico City, Mexico
Coordinates
Established1910

History

The construction began in 1906 it mark the centennial of Juárez's birth.[2] The engineers for the construction of the monument were assigned by Porfirio Díaz.[3] Statues were sculpted by the Italian artist Alessandro Lazzerini.[4]

The monument was dedicated on September 18, 1910.[1]

Style

It is Neoclassical style, semicircular, with strong Greek influence; it has twelve Doric columns, supporting an entablature and frieze structure of the same order. On both sides it has two golden spikes.

At the center is a sculpture composed of Benito Juarez seated with two allegories: one representing the homeland crowning Juarez with laurels in the presence of a second that represents the law in the basement has festoons, another sculpture center that chairs a republican eagle with open wings in a facing, with neoaztec frets, which lie two lions.

On the central pillar there is a medallion surrounded by a laurel, inscribed with the following;

"For the Meritorious Benito Juarez, the Homeland."

Social practices

The Hemicycle is a prominent point in Alameda. It has been a meeting place for the start of marches and popular rallies, including the student movement of 1968 and marches in support of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in 2006. For decades, the commemoration of the birth of Benito Juarez has been led by Mexican Presidents. For decades it was the destination of the gay march to Mexico City, until, in 1999 the organizing committee decided to start at the Zocalo.

References
  1. http://en.mxcity.mx/2016/01/alameda-central-mexico-city/
  2. Benjamin, Thomas (2010). La Revolución: Mexico's Great Revolution as Memory, Myth, and History. University of Texas Press. ISBN 0292782977.
  3. Butterfield, Beldon (2012). Mexico Behind the Mask: A Narrative, Past and Present. Potomac Books, Inc. p. 68. ISBN 1612344267.
  4. DBI
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.