Architect(s): Juan O'Gorman
Address: Cto. Interior S/N, C.U., Coyoacán, MEXICO CITY, Mexico
Latitude/Longitude: 19.333391,-99.187331
Photographs: Maria Anagnostou
Central University City Campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) encloses the Olympic Stadium, about 40 faculties and institutes, the Cultural Center, an ecological reserve, the Central Library, and a few museums. Mario Pani and Enrique del Moral were the architects. An ancient solidified lava bed was its base of building during the 1950s to replace the scattered buildings in downtown Mexico City where classes were given. It was completed in 1954.
All buildings have as common the gardens and volcanic rock with some notable exceptions: the Rectorate Tower and the Central Library. These tall, square-shaped buildings, standing a bit isolated from the rest, are adorned by murals made by famous Mexican muralists David Alfaro Siqueiros (Rectorate Tower) and Juan O’Gorman (Central Library).
The Central Library Ciudad Universitaria’s most iconic building is this last mural which is recognized as the largest mural in the world, covering all sides of the Library, based on Aztec and Spanish motifs, as well as UNAM’s coat of arms.
