Listen closely. The Carrillón. A gift from Belgium. A symphony of bells high above Mexico City.
Imagine this. The year is 1963. Giant bells arrive by boat. A gift from the Belgian government. Their destination? The Torre Insignia. Then one of Mexico City’s tallest buildings. Designed by Mario Pani Darqui. A master architect. His buildings shaped the city’s skyline. Units like Presidente Alemán and Benito Juárez stand as testaments to his skill.
The Carrillón. Seventy-five feet tall. A tower rises 125 feet higher. Nineteen bells ring out melodies. From Ave María to Cri-Cri children’s songs. The sounds fill the air. A unique blend of sacred and secular music.
Yolanda Fernández de Córdoba. Mexico’s sole carillonist. She played the Carrillón for decades. Beginning in the 1980s. She played. She maintained the intricate mechanism.
But then disaster struck. In 1985. A devastating earthquake. Buildings crumbled. The Torre Insignia was evacuated. Fears of structural damage led to its abandonment. For many years. The carillon fell silent.
Yolanda continued her upkeep. Occasionally playing. Concerts in 2002 and perhaps the last in 2014. Reports say she passed in 2018. An era ended. The Carrillón’s future uncertain. But hope remains.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought change. Mexico City’s Health Secretariat needed space. They moved into the Torre Insignia in 2020. Will the Carrillón be restored? Will its music ring out again? Perhaps. Maybe. It would bring a new sound to the city. A new chapter for a unique instrument. A piece of history. A symbol of international friendship. The Carrillón. A treasure waiting to be rediscovered. A treasure of sound.