{"id":1684,"date":"2015-09-18T01:01:38","date_gmt":"2015-09-18T06:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.azultourquesa.com\/?p=1684"},"modified":"2016-04-24T21:48:03","modified_gmt":"2016-04-24T21:48:03","slug":"mexicos-best-lookouts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azultourquesa.com\/EN\/mexicos-best-lookouts\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Lookouts in Mexico City"},"content":{"rendered":"

Few views are as spectacular as those at the top of a mountain. The landscape\u2019s majesty and immensity leave you breathless. Observing a city from the top of a skyscraper is a similar experience. You stand in awe at the urban landscape and think about the greatness of people who were able to build all you see under your feet.<\/p>\n

One way to know a city is precisely from a\u00a0lookout point. On my most recent visit to Mexico City, I climbed to the top of the Torre Latinoamericana, one of Mexico\u2019s best lookouts<\/strong>.\u00a0It wasn’t the first time I admired my hometown from the top of this tower, the tallest skyscraper in Mexico between 1956-1984. But it was the first time I thought that man, just a tiny dot in the vast universe, is a colossal architect.<\/p>\n

Enjoy five of my favorite lookouts in Mexico City.<\/p>\n

1. Torre Latinoamericana<\/h3>\n
\"torre<\/a>
\u00a9 Richard Gunion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Location<\/strong>: Downtown<\/p>\n

Opening<\/strong>: April 30, 1956<\/p>\n

Built by<\/strong>: Mexican architect Augusto H. \u00c1lvarez<\/p>\n

Height<\/strong>: 597 ft (tower: 453 ft and antenna: 144 ft)<\/p>\n

Stories<\/strong>: 44<\/p>\n

Interesting data<\/em><\/span>: The\u00a0Torre Latinoamericana<\/a><\/strong> (Latin-American Tower) is one of the city\u2019s most <\/strong>important landmarks<\/b>. It\u2019s also recognized internationally as an engineering and architectural landmark since it was the first world\u2019s major skyscraper built on land prone to earthquakes. It was\u00a0Mexico City’s tallest building until the completion in 1984 of the Torre Ejecutiva Pemex,\u00a0which is 72 ft higher. Torre Latino (as it is called for short) has been featured in movies such as Baz Luhrmann\u2019s Romeo + Juliet<\/i>, Alfonso Cuar\u00f3n\u2019s Solo con tu pareja<\/i>, and Alejandro Gonz\u00e1lez I\u00f1\u00e1rritu\u2019s Amores Perros<\/i>.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0World Trade Center<\/h3>\n

Location<\/strong>: Avenida de los Insurgentes<\/p>\n

Opening<\/strong>: 1972 (as Hotel de M\u00e9xico); 1995 (as WTC M\u00e9xico)<\/p>\n

Built by<\/strong>: Mexican architect Guillermo Rossell de la Lama and Spaniard architect Ram\u00f3n Miquelajauregui<\/p>\n

Height<\/strong>: 679 ft (roof: 627 ft and antenna: 52 ft)<\/p>\n

Stories<\/strong>: 50<\/p>\n

Interesting data<\/em><\/span><\/strong>: The World Trade Center<\/a><\/strong> (also called by its former name: Hotel de M\u00e9xico) has a revolving restaurant<\/b> on the 45th<\/sup> floor. The restaurant turns one meter every minute. After 105 minutes you\u2019ll have seen the whole city! It\u00a0surpassed Torre Latino’s height in 1972\u00a0(if one subtracts the height of the television transmitter atop the tower).<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0Torre Mayor<\/h3>\n
\"torre<\/a>
Left side: the bicentennial tower, built to celebrate 200 years of independence. Right side: the Torre Mayor. \u00a9 Arturo Osorno<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Location<\/strong>: Paseo de la Reforma<\/p>\n

Opening<\/strong>: June 25, 2003<\/p>\n

Built by<\/strong>: Adamson Associates Architects (Canada), Zeidler Partnership Architects (Canada) and IDEA Asociados (Mexico)<\/p>\n

Height<\/strong>: 738 ft<\/p>\n

Stories<\/strong>: 55 (and 4 basement parking floors)<\/p>\n

Interesting data<\/em><\/span><\/strong>: The\u00a0Torre Mayor<\/a><\/strong> (Major Tower) is a green and intelligent building<\/b>. It received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.<\/p>\n

It features the highest heliport in the continent and its steel and concrete structure hosts 98 huge seismic dampers. It is believed that no worker died during its construction.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0Monumento a la Revoluci\u00f3n<\/h3>\n
\"Monumento<\/a>
\u00a9 Alexandre Fagundes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Location<\/strong>: Plaza de la Rep\u00fablica, near downtown<\/p>\n

Opening<\/strong>: 1938. Reopening: Noviembre 20, 2010<\/p>\n

Built by<\/strong>: French architect \u00c9melie B\u00e9rnard, Mexican architect Carlos Obreg\u00f3n Santacilia, 1910-1938<\/p>\n

Height<\/strong>: 220 ft<\/p>\n

Interesting data<\/em><\/span><\/strong>: The\u00a0Monumento a la Revoluci\u00f3n<\/a><\/strong> (Monument to the Revolution) is a memorial and mausoleum<\/b> dedicated to the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Leading figures of the revolution lie in crypts placed at the base of its four pillars.<\/p>\n

Originally, it was to be the seat of the federal legislative palace, a luxurious neoclassical building that would have been larger than the Capitol in Washington, D.C. However, construction was suspended for two decades due to the uprising of the revolutionary movement and the diversion of funds to fight the revolution. B\u00e9rnard wanted to rescue his project at the end of the revolution, but died without being able to complete it. Architect Obreg\u00f3n Santacilia,<\/p>\n

one of the pioneers of modern Mexican architecture, rescued the unfinished work and gave the landmark an eclectic style of Art Deco and Mexican socialism realism. Mexican sculptor Oliverio Mart\u00ednez also collaborated in the project. The sculptures that crown the monument\u2019s four pillars are a mixture of pre-Hispanic art and cubism.<\/p>\n

About 100 vertical water jets (that move and light up to the beat of music at night in the monument’s plaza) were installed as part of the\u00a0celebrations to commemorate the bicentennial of the revolution in 2010. They are on everyday and people play with these spurts of water<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>especially on hot days.<\/p>\n

5. \u00c1ngel de la Independencia<\/h3>\n
\"monument<\/a>
\u00a9 Moreno Novello<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Location<\/strong>: Paseo de la Reforma<\/p>\n

Opening<\/strong>: September 16, 1910<\/p>\n

Built by: Mexican architects Antonio Rivas Mercado, Gonzalo Garita, Manuel Gorozpe and Enrique Alciati (the latter, a sculptor)<\/p>\n

Height<\/strong>: 148 ft<\/p>\n

Interesting data<\/em><\/span><\/strong>: El \u00c1ngel or \u00c1ngel de la Independencia<\/a><\/strong> (as this victory column is known; although its official name in English is Monument to Independence), was\u00a0built in 1910 to commemorate the centennial of Mexico\u2019s independence. One of the most recognizable landmarks <\/strong>in the city, it has become a focal point for both celebrations and protests. It resembles the July Column in Paris and the Berlin Column Victory in Berlin. It\u2019s often chosen as \u201ca Kodak moment\u201d kind of place for celebration photos such as Quincea\u00f1eras, weddings, graduations and soccer game victories. It\u2019s also used as a meeting point or background curtain for cultural, artistic and car shows, as well as for civil and military events.<\/p>\n

Now back to you. What is your favorite lookout in Mexico or around the world?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Few views are as spectacular as those at the top of a mountain. The landscape\u2019s majesty and immensity leave you breathless. Observing a city from the top of a skyscraper is a similar experience. You stand in awe at the urban landscape and think about the greatness of people who were able to build all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1687,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[49,56],"class_list":["post-1684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mexico","tag-lookouts","tag-mexico-city","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azultourquesa.com\/EN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azultourquesa.com\/EN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azultourquesa.com\/EN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azultourquesa.com\/EN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azultourquesa.com\/EN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1684"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.azultourquesa.com\/EN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1684\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4751,"href":"https:\/\/www.azultourquesa.com\/EN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1684\/revisions\/4751"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azultourquesa.com\/EN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azultourquesa.com\/EN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azultourquesa.com\/EN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azultourquesa.com\/EN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}