Choreographic rehearsal by Nacho LópezMuseo del Estanquillo
Iconic Olympics
Mexico 1968 is fondly remembered for many reasons. One of the main reasons is its magnificent graphic design and imagery. Inspired by pre-Hispanic icons, cultural roots, and full of colors like Mexico itself, this event gave life to a new cultural identity.
Timeless icons
The Olympics marked the beginning of a new era in Mexico, one of innovation and avant-garde aesthetics with iconography that continues to be used in Mexico and around the world to this day.
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Past and future
Every stroke, every curve, and every brushstroke fused our roots with modernity and experimentation, creating a graphic language that was both a celebration of national identity and a vision of the country we wanted in the future.
No title (1923-11-25) by Ernesto García CabralMuseo del Estanquillo
Collective design
Mexico 1968 not only brought together the brightest creative minds of the 20th century, such as Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, but also inspired various artists who contributed to the official design of the games and immortalized the events for posterity.
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Sports engravings
Several of them took athletes or sports as models for various art forms from painting and drawing to engraving, one of the most beloved techniques in Mexico.
At the tennis championship (1923-11-11) by Ernesto García CabralMuseo del Estanquillo
Olympic magazines
Popularly known as the magazine of magazines, El Semanario Nacional (The National Weekly) was responsible for chronicling several events in Mexico City during the Olympic weeks.
No title (1924-04-06) by Ernesto García CabralMuseo del Estanquillo
Legendary covers
Recording the figures who competed, and with covers inspired by Olympic disciplines and the iconography of the games, the Semanario bore witness to what was perhaps the greatest demonstration of the true spirit of Mexico.
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Creative publications
But they were not the only ones. During the Olympic fervor, many Mexican publications created different designs to narrate or promote the Games using traditional Olympic iconography, such as the dove of peace or the olive wreath, in different and curious ways.
Overcoming an obstacle (1922-03-12) by Ernesto García CabralMuseo del Estanquillo
A futuristic Mexico
The Olympic Games not only showed the world a different Mexico but also gave rise to a new graphic and cultural identity for the future. Designs that are still part of our day-to-day life.
Antonio Roldan and Ricardo Delgado by UnidentifiedMuseo del Estanquillo
Olympic iconography:
Today's designs born in the past – A vision of contemporary Mexico.
Esta historia se realizó con el apoyo y colaboración del Museo del Estanquillo.
