Beyond the Games: The Art of the 1968 Mexico Olympics
A journey through sculptures that celebrate international unity and artistic innovation
By Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
General Archive of the Nation
Mexico City was transformed into a modern city to host the 1968 Olympic Games. The southern area of the Mexican capital underwent a radical modification in its morphology and traditional landscape, incorporating modern urban elements specifically designed to accommodate Olympic venues such as the Olympic Stadium in Ciudad Universitaria, the Azteca Stadium, and the Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Course in Cuemanco, Xochimilco. The Periférico Sur beltway had to be expanded to connect these venues.
At a nodal point of this road, the Olympic Village was built to house the athletes participating in the XIX Olympiad, and in the Coapa area, a village to gather the competition judges and journalists assigned by various media worldwide to cover the event. The Route of Friendship was a series of sculptures designed and constructed parallel to this beltway, so that each monumental sculpture could be seen from a moving vehicle. This project associated kinetics with sculptural art. In the midst of the Cold War, each monument can be considered a testimony of collaboration and harmony between countries, which decided to bequeath it to Mexico with great experimental zeal in both a diplomatic and artistic sense.
Reloj Solar (1968) by Mayo BrothersArchivo General de la Nación - Mexico
Solar Clock
Grzegorz Kowalski (Poland)
Composed of seven cones placed on a circular base with each one showing a different arrangement, giving a sense of movement with the sunlight and the shadows produced.
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El Ancla (1968) by Mayo BrothersArchivo General de la Nación - Mexico
The Anchor
Willi Gutmann (Switzerland)
The piece is 7.5 m high and alludes to an anchor in the form of a large irregular circle, from which a small element with curved lines joins it.
El Sol Bípedo (1968) by Mayo BrothersArchivo General de la Nación - Mexico
The Bipedal Sun
Pierre Székeli (France)
The design of this sculptural ensemble, associated with a high-speed road, generated a kinetic experience for visitors and inhabitants of Mexico City.
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Las Tres Gracias (1968) by Mayo BrothersArchivo General de la Nación - Mexico
The Three Graces
Miroslav Chlupac (Czechoslovakia)
The work consists of three columns, each with a wavy edge, arranged side by side to give the human eye a sense of variation in volume.
Boceto de la escultura Tertuila de Gigantes 8 (1967) by Joop J. BeljonArchivo General de la Nación - Mexico
Torre de los Vientos (1968) by Mayo BrothersArchivo General de la Nación - Mexico
Tower of the Winds
Gonzalo Fonseca (Uruguay)
This sculpture shows a minimalist interior space with geometric elements, while its exterior components reveal an archaeological space.
Estación 18 (1968) by Mayo BrothersArchivo General de la Nación - Mexico
With the aim of connecting various venues along this new route, the expansion of the Periférico Sur beltway was part of the urban remodeling required for the development of the Mexico 1968 Olympic Games.
Esferas (1968) by Mayo BrothersArchivo General de la Nación - Mexico
Spheres
Kioshi Takahashi (Japan)
The piece shows two spheres which lack two quarters of their bodies. When traveling past the sculpture by vehicle at high speed, it gives the appearance of two complete spheres.
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Señales (1968) by Mayo BrothersArchivo General de la Nación - Mexico
Signals
Angela Gurría (Mexico)
It symbolizes two horns representing the Olympics in which African landscapes participate together.
The modernization of urban infrastructure required the volcanic landscape —characteristic of the southern part of the Mexican capital— to be integrated with an artistic project that extolled modernity as an artistic concept, while in turn appealing to Mexico's link with other countries.
Disco Solar (1968) by Mayo BrothersArchivo General de la Nación - Mexico
Solar Disc
Jacques Moeschal (Belgium)
A hoop-shaped sculpture with a small fissure that prevents it from closing completely.
Convocatoria internacional de escultores (1967) by Organizing Committee of the Olympic GamesArchivo General de la Nación - Mexico
The Route of Friendship originated from a call by the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games to governments that could afford the expenses to construct each of the monuments.
In the context of the Cold War, the invitation entailed attending to an abstract representation of figures, volumes, and colors. This requirement appealed to an ideological neutrality that had the friendship of peoples and nations as its sole reference.
Look second part here.
Archives:
-Archivo Fotográfico Hermanos Mayo
-Archivo del Comité Organizador de los Juegos
Olímpicos
-Biblioteca Ignacio Cubas del AGN
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