World Monuments Fund Selects Mexico's La Ruta de la Amistad WorldArchitectureNews.com
go to original May 15, 2012

The first of five $1m grants as part of a partnership between American Express and the World Monuments Fund has been given to six sites across the world in desperate need of restoration and protection. Each of the six sites was added to the 2012 Watch List, marking them as top priority in the world in terms of historical sites.

Benefiting from the 2012 World Monuments Fund will be: Ruta de la Amistad in Mexico City, Mexico, Salvador de Bahina, Brazil; Balaji Ghat in Varanasi, India; the Canterbury Provincial Government Buildings in Christchurch, New Zealand; the ruins of the former Cathedral of Saint Michael in Coventry, UK; and the town of Sawara in Japan.

President of the World Monuments Fund, Bonnie Burnham, commented: “WMF is grateful to American Express for its longstanding commitment to the World Monuments Watch. Over the years, the company’s steadfast support has helped to preserve 138 sites in 62 countries, benefiting both the local populations and the many people from across the globe who visit them for their beauty and to learn about history and culture.”

About La Ruta de la Amistad (The Path of Friendship)

The series of sculptures located in the southern stretch of Ring Road, are today a reminder of an ambitious project to modernize Mexico City.

In 1968, the city became the star of the XIX Olympic Games and received athletes, tourists and the international press. Several projects were conducted to show the world a modern Mexico: the city was enriched with various works such as the Olympic Village, the Olympic Pool and the Sports Palace, another of these works was the Ruta de la Amistad.

La Ruta de la Amistad was a project by the German-born Mexican sculptor Mathias Goertiz (1915-1990). In this project were invited sculptors from different races, ideologies, and religions to participate continents with a monumental sculpture and abstract type to take into account an urban environment and to be held in reinforced concrete. The result was 19 sculptures spread over the stretch of beltway that goes Cuemanco to the Olympic Village. The sculptures are in form and face different between them, no doubt, each has a particular characteristic that draws our attention to making this our favorite sculpture of the route.

For over forty years have been preserved, mostly in its original location. But rapid and disorderly growth of the city has forgotten. Some have become a lost object in the landscape of buildings, towers, poles and road bridges. Today the vast majority of them are at risk for the construction of second floor from the ring.

The Board of the Ruta de la Amistad seeks to safeguard this important urban sculpture circuit. On its website (www.mexico68.org/ruta/) you can see pictures of the moment of creation of the route, information about the sculptures and artists as well as signing a petition to the Head of Government capital to rescue and safeguard the sculptures.

In short: the city is no longer that of Mexico 68, Friendship Road no longer has the grandeur and splendor of the moment of its creation, but part of the history of the city. It's reminiscent of the romantic ideal of Mathias Goeritz, which argued for an integrated art in the design of urban environment. An ideal that in actuality it is increasingly difficult to discern.

Gabriela Alvarez - MyTrend.co

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