The National Autonomous University of Mexico It is the Highest House of Studies in our country, which is why a large number of historical facts are related to it. Its central campus, Ciudad Universitaria, is considered World Heritage since 2007 and is a must for those visiting Mexico City. Although his works are currently protected to maintain the title granted by Unesco, the landscape of the UNAM has not always been the same, this is the case of the demolition with dynamite of the statue of former president Miguel Aleman.
What was a statue of Miguel Alemán doing in Ciudad Universitaria?
At the beginning of the 20th century, the schools and faculties of the UNAM were distributed in the area of the Historic Center of Mexico City. It was during the management of Manuel Ávila Camacho that the university presented the proposal for the Law on the Foundation and Construction of the University City. However, then the UNAM did not have the economic resources for the construction.
It was with the entry of the government of Miguel Alemán Valdés in 1946 that the necessary money was provided to the university and the project progressed effectively. In 1952, at the end of the six-year term, Alemán dedicated the University City, although the transfer of institutions began a year later. A statue of the president was erected at the university with an aura of self-praise on November 18 of that same year.
Although in the six-year term there was a great industrialization of Mexico, not all sectors of the population were happy or benefited, they considered him a new Porfirio Díaz. This caused the monument to be vandalized on several occasions in the 1960s.
How was it dynamited?
The statue was the work of the sculptor Ignacio Asúnsolo. It had three attacks, the first, in 1960 and 1965. In June 1966 four detonations destroyed it.
In 1966, when one of the most critical stages of the worker and student movements began, the statue was grilled. It was useless On June 6, a loud noise was heard in Ciudad Universitaria. The head of the monument fell.
According to the expert reports and the documentation of the newspaper El Universal, the event occurred at 03:10. The attack would have been carried out by experts, since first the neck of the statue was drilled to ensure the detachment of the head.
Although they tried to save the statue, for which they protected it with sheets, a second explosion ended the body two days later.
It is said that about 25 people participated in the demolition, mainly out of disagreement with the former president’s policies and considering it an act of arrogance, since Alemán Valdés was still alive. However, those responsible were never known, although it was assured that they were communists. The monument to Miguel Alemán Valdés disappeared forever from the landscape of Ciudad Universitaria. The UNAM began a distance with the government, then headed by Gustavo Díaz Ordaz. Two years later, one of the darkest chapters in the history of Mexico would take place: the attack against the student movement in 1968.
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Rodrigo Osegueda Philosopher by training. Contemplate the soul and imagination of Mexico.
