Monumento a la Revolucion
Monument to the Revolution
If you find yourself visiting Mexico City you should take a moment to hop on the metro and go visit the the Monumento a la Revolution. It is located in the downtown between Avinida de los Insurgentes and Paseo de la Reforma in Plaza de la Republica, or Republic Square. Again, it is very easy to reach via the metro system.
Built from 1932 to 1938 over what was to be the Federal Legislative Palace and designed by Carlos Obregon Santacilia, the Revolution Monument serves not only as a monument to the Mexican Revolution of 1910, but as a mausoleum for that war's heroes. In each of the monuments columns is a mausoleum, holding Pancho Villa, Plutarco Elias Calles, Francisco I. Madero, Lazaro Cardenas, and Venustiano Carranza.
The monument is just a few hundred feet from the metro exit. The area is very secure and guards constantly stand duty. Within the monument you will find a museum with artifacts and a history of the revolution. For a couple of bucks you can ride the elevator to the inside of the top and walk around to lookouts, where you can get some pretty good views of that part of the city.
The Plaza de la Republica is a good place to sit down and relax. The area functions much like a park, with all different sorts of people doing all sorts of things. As with the rest of Mexico City, there should be a number vendors walking around selling food and refreshments. You can take photos of the monument while you watch the diverse crowd interact, from skater kids to street performers to students to tourists
There are convenience stores and restaurants nearby, along with restrooms (like most of Mexico City they are pay restrooms, unless you bought an elevator ticket, then the restrooms within the monument are free.) When me and my wife visited we found the environment in the Plaza so nice that we spent the better part of the day there people watching and eating junk food.
Here's a video of the monument I found on YouTube
For a little taste of Mexico, and I do mean taste, try this recipe I brought back:
- Squash Blossom Quesadilla Recipe
An authentic mexican recipe using squash blossoms, or flowers, to make quesadillas. Includes photos.