Dedicated to all Mexican mothers the Monumento a la Madre stands tall. But what happened on September 19, 2017? A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Mexico City. The monument’s central sculpture collapsed.
The Monumento a la Madre commemorates Mexican mothers. It stands in Mexico City. It was first inaugurated on May 10, 1949. The monument reopened on November 21, 2018 after reconstruction.
The idea for the Monumento a la Madre arose in 1922. José Vasconcelos and Rafael Alducín wanted to pay tribute to mothers. They sought to honor them with love and tenderness on May 10. Then in 1944, President Manuel Ávila Camacho laid the first stone. This marked the beginning of the Monumento a la Madre. Miguel Alemán Valdés inaugurated it on May 10, 1949.
José Villagrán García completed the architectural work. Luis Ortiz Monasterio designed the sculptures. He won a contest held by Excelsior in 1948. The Monumento a la Madre is in the Garden of Art. It sits between Sullivan, Villalongín, and Avenida de los Insurgentes. This divides the Cuauhtémoc and San Rafael colonies.
The Monumento a la Madre features three sculptures. An indigenous man writes. An indigenous woman holds an ear of corn. It symbolizes fertility. A mother holds a child. These figures represent Mexican motherhood.
The earthquake on September 19, 2017, caused significant damage. The central sculpture of the Monumento a la Madre collapsed. The government of Mexico City undertook the restoration. It reopened on November 21, 2018. Architect Gabriel Mérigo led the project.
Just off Reforma the Monumento a la Madre offers a place of reflection. It features a statue of a woman and child. The first brick was laid on Mother’s Day in 1944. It was finally inaugurated on Mother’s Day 1949.
The monument stands forty meters tall. The central sculpture collapsed due to the earthquake. Reconstruction used original pieces. They followed work models and perimetric volume models.
A plaque includes the inscription: “To the one who loved us before knowing us”. It bears the inauguration date of May 10, 1949. On June 1, 1998, a second plaque was added. It read: “Because her motherhood was voluntary.” A feminist group added it. Esperanza Brito de Martí was among them. It asserted a woman’s right to decide about her body and motherhood. This second plaque mysteriously disappeared. Feminists later replaced it.
The Monumento a la Madre continues to honor mothers. It reminds us of love. It also shows the resilience of Mexico City.