Peace Monuments in Mexico

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1696? - Plaza De La Paz / Plaza of Peace, Basilica Colegiata de Nuestra Senora de Guanajuato, Zona Centro, León, Guanajuato, Guanajuato (Mexico). Plaza contains statue of the Virgin Mary. "A beautiful sculpture called Monumento a la Paz / Monument to Peace was inaugurated [here] by President Porfirio Diaz in 1903. This gorgeous plaza has been witness to many important events in history, such as the proclamation of Guanajuato as the capital city of Mexico by Benito Juarez and the insurrection of the mining towns against the injustice of the colonial government." Visited by Pope Benedict XVI in his popemobile on Saturday March 24, 2012.

1851 - Boundary Monument, Friendship Park, on international border between Border Field State Park, San Diego, California (USA), & Tijuana (Mexico). Monument of Italian marble made in New York, shipped around Cape Horn, and erected in 1851 (soon after the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848). When area started being call a Friendship Park has not be determined. Fence now separates the two countries and the monument. Mexican lighthouse and bull ring visible in background.

1910 - Angel de la Independencia / Angel of Independence, Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City (Mexico). Commemorates the centennial of the beginning of Mexico's War of Independence [1910-1921]. One of the most recognizable landmarks in Mexico City. A focal point for both celebrations and protests. A lampera votiva / eternal flame (installed in 1929) burns in honor of the principal heroes whose remains are interred within. Base contains bronze sculptures symbolizing Law, War, Justice and Peace. The main face is a bronze statue of a giant lion led by a child representing strength and the innocence of youth during War but docility during Peace.

	June 1968 - Ruta de la Amistad / Route of Friendship, Olympics, Mexico City (Mexico). Nineteen sculptures along a 17 kilometer segment of the Anillo Periferico / Preferential Highway. Designed by international artists for the 1968 Olympic Games.
	1969 - Amistad Dam, between Del Rio, Texas (USA). & Cuidad Acuna (Mexico). Image shows both national emblems on the border inthe middle of the dam.

1971 - Capilla de la Paz / Chapel of Peace, Calle de la Paz, Fraccionamiento Las Brisas, Acapulco, Guerrero (Mexico). The 40-meter cross towers above the chapel and dominates Acalpulco Bay.

1973 - Chamizal National Memorial, El Paso, Texas (USA).

1987 - Fuente de los Delfines / Fountain of the Dolphins, Malecon, Puerto Vallarta (Mexico). Sculpted by James (Bud) Bottoms in sister city Santa Barbara, California (USA).

1982 - Bicentennial Friendship Fountain, Sterns Wharf, base of State Street, Santa Barbra, Calfornia (USA). Sculpted by local artist James (Bud) Bottoms.

1988 - International World Peace Rose Garden, Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Plaza de las Américas, Núm. 1, Col. Villa de Guadalupe. México, DF (Mexico). Theme: "Friendship between Mexico and the United States."

Date? - El Hombre de la Paz Universal / Man of Universal Peace, Av. Insurgentes, Mazatlan, Nayarit (Mexico). A towering golden figure holding a bell over his head. The plaque at his feet reads: "Hacer el bien produce buena suerte / To do good produces good luck." Visited by EWL.

Date? - Dove of Peace, Malécon, La Paz, Baja California Sur (Mexico) . Bronze dove. La Paz means peace in Spanish.

Date? - Dove of Peace, Outskirts, La Paz, Outskirts, Baja California Sur (Mexico) . "A peace dove or a whales tail, this monument greets you as you enter La Paz." La Paz means peace in Spanish.

Date? - Rotary Mural, Culiacan, Sinaloa (Mexico). Depicts the fight against polio. Includes dove of peace & handshake of friendship.

Date? - Monumento Rotario a la Paz, Matamoros (Mexico).

Date? - ______, Culiacan, Sinaloa (Mexico). Photo by EWL.

October 4, 1990 - Campana de la Paz / World Peace Bell, Parque Lira, Tacubaya, Mexico City (Mexico). One of 23 WPB's in 16 different countries. Enclosed by chain link fence (to prevent vandalism?). Click here for air view. Left photo by EWL.

1991 - Jardin de la Paz / Peace Garden, Tlatelolco, Mexico, DF (Mexico). Created by Medicos Mexicanos para la Prevencion de las Guerra Nuclear, a chapter of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) & linked to Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR). Large garden contains agora, peace bell, children's statue & other peace monuments. Near site of the 1967 anti-nuclear Treaty of Tlatelolco and the Tlatelolco massacre just prior to the 1968 Olympic Games. Entry #1384 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001). Photos by EWL.

Date? - Monumento a Gandhi / Gandhi Monument, Bosque de Chapultepec, 1a Sección, Col. Bosque de Chapultepec, Parque Nacional, entre Paseo de la Reforma y Calzada Mahatma Gandhi, Mexico City (Mexico). A un costado de el Museo de Antropología. Obra del escultor Federico Canessi [1905-1977].

1991? - La Poloma / Dove, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey (MARCO), Monterrey (Mexico). By artist Juan Soriano [1920-2006]. 18 feet (5.5 m) tall, weighs 4 tons, and is made of bronze.

1998? - Las Palomas / The Doves, Parque Central “El Palomar,” Avenue Independencia y Teófilo Borunda, Chihuahua, Chihuahua (Mexico). "Monumento integrado con tres palomas de bronce, cuyo proyecto fue realizado por el escultor Fermín Gutiérrez. Constituye un símbolo de la plaza del mismo nombre." Visited by EL.

1993? - Pacific Crest Trail Monuments, on US/Canadian Border (Washington & British Columbia) & on US/Mexican border. Identical wooden monuments 2,650 miles apart at each end of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).

1997 - Plaza of Peace & Friendship, Rotary Peace Park, Calle Iturbide, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco (Mexico). Park, peace pole & plaque next to the main cathedral & city hall [El Palacio Municipal], according to Entry #1385 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001). Not found when area combed in December 2006. Image scanned from Bennett.

	April 15, 2000 - World Trade Bridge, between Laredo, Texas (USA), & Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas (Mexico).
	October 31, 2000 - Flame of Friendship /Flama de la Amistad, Convention Center, San Diego, California (USA). By Leonardo Nierman of Mexico City (Mexico). A gift from the Government of Mexico that was presented to the people of San Diego as a gesture of friendship. Has stunning vistas of San Diego Bay. The sculpture is made of polished stainless steel and is nearly 21-feet in height.
	2001 - Friendship Monument, Shoreline Boulevard at Lawrence Street, Corpus Christi, Texas (USA). "Bronze sculpture of Captain Blas Maria de la Garza Falcon by artist Sherman Coleman, M.D. The Westside Business Association sponsored this statue. The statue pays tribute to Falcon, an empressario credited with founding the first Spanish settlement north of the Rio Grande, near Petronila in 1764. In 1762, Falcon was commissioned to explore the Nueces River area by Don Jose de Escandon, the Governor of Nuevo Santander, a Spanish Territory extending from the San Antonio River to the Punuco River near Vera Cruz, Mexico. He later brought the first longhorn cattle to South Texas when he established a ranch in the area."

2002 - Torch of Friendship, San Antonio, Texas (USA). Fifty-ton sculpture made in Mexico. A gift to San Antonio from the Association of Mexican Entrepreneurs. According to scu;ptor Sebastian, "Obviously, I thought of all the possible allegorical meanings of a burning torch, such as the fire of friendship, relationships, strength, and creativity. The complexity of the work is that it is in two parts; in this case from two countries, which is complex but the same time satisfying, festive, and friendly."

Summer 2004 - Entre Corazon y Mar / Between Heart and Sea, Tijuana (Mexico). Other Pacific Rim Parks are in San Diego (USA), Vladivostok (USSR) & Yantai (China).

M U S E U M

October 2010 - Museo Memoria y Tolerancia / Museum of Memory & Tolerance, Plaza Juarez, Centro Historico | Frente al Hemiciclo a Juárez de la Alameda central, Mexico City (Mexico). "Dedicated to two topics. The first 'Memory' part tells horrible story of Nazi Hollocaust. This is followed by stories of genocides in Rwanda, Bosnia, Armenia & others. The second section on 'Tolearance' makes you think about current issues and encourages more tolerance."

2011? - "The Dialogue Iconostasis for World Peace," Sagrado Corazon 14, Colonia San Antonio, Cieneguita (Mexico). Four kilometers from center of San Miguel de Allende. A large curved wall of icons commemorating teachers such as Jesus, Buddha, Muhammed, Copernicus & Confucius, displaying an array of deities & symbols, 40 prayer wheels & more. Measures 3.35 meters by 10.5 meters (11 feet by 32 feet). The work of iconographer Mary Jane Miller, painting in egg tempera, & her husband, Valentin Gomez, whose hammered silver adorns the work. "A destination for quiet reflection. Invites us all to step thru the boundary separating the human from the divine & encourages all your members to listen again to the eternal truths which hold the keys to peace on earth." Now available to be seen at any time, but a permanent home is being sought in Mexico, e.g the expo center in Guanajuato or a newly constructed space for groups to meet in which would be dedicated in the Fall of 2012. Information courtesy of Mary Jane Miller.

June 2012 - Monumento Fair Play y Jardín por la Paz Mundial / Fair Play Monument & World Peace Garden, Plaza de la Paz, Cancún, Estado de Quintana Roo (México). "Donated by the World Organization for Peace (WOFP) and built in ten days." "As part of the Maya World Cup 2012,... the monument figure soccer ball, made over a period of 15 days, was inaugurated in this city, which it was declared in Geneva, the capital of peace for two years." [Google translation]

Future - La Gran Estupa para la Paz Mundial / Great Stupa for World Peace, Los Alamos, Valle de Bravo (Mexico).

Future - US/Mexico International Park Project, (USA & Mexico). Under discussion since 1935. Supported by Rotary International. Would join Big Bend National Park in the US with Maderas del Carmen and Cañon de Santa Elena protected areas in Mexico. Over 400 Rotarians from both countries helped to dedicate the project and encourage its completion when Past RI President Jim Lacy presided over a ceremony on Nov. 8, 1998, at Chamizal National Memorial (qv).

Future - El Mano de la Paz / The Hand of Peace, Jardin Binacional / Bi-national Garden, Playas de Tijuana, Baja California (Mexico). Hand showing the peace sign. "By Chaa Youn Woo, [Korean-American] Artist. Significant sculpture that will add positive inspiration to a major port of entry to Latin America. Will be located in a high poverty area. Located at the northern most point of Latin America, approximately 20’ from the border of the United States (San Diego) and 60' from the Pacific Ocean. Latin America refers to those countries that speak romance languages like Spanish, French & Portuguese all derived from Latin. Countries in South America, Central America & the Caribbean make up Latin America. In 2008 the Latin American population was estimated at 570 million. The sculpture will become a generator for peaceful energy. A whimsical yet thought provoking peaceful environment will be created for tourists & locals who visit or live in the area, giving the public the opportunity to interact with the Art installation on a daily basis."