Memorial a las víctimas de violencia en México | |
.jpg) The memorial in 2013 | |
 Location | |
| 19°25′30″N 99°11′57″W / 19.42500°N 99.19917°W | |
| Location | Mexico City, Mexico |
|---|---|
| Designer | Julio Gaeta and Luby Springall (architects) Lighteam (illumination) |
| Type | Memorial |
| Material | Steel and concrete |
| Width | 2.4 m (8 ft) (some walls) |
| Height | 12 m (39 ft) (tallest point) |
| Beginning date | 7 September 2012 |
| Completion date | 23 November 2012 |
| Opening date | 5 April 2013 |
| Dedicated to | Victims of violence in Mexico |
| Website | gaeta-springall.com |
The Memorial to Victims of Violence in Mexico (Spanish: Memorial a las víctimas de violencia en México), also referred to as the State Violence Victims Memorial (Spanish: Memorial de las víctimas de la violencia del Estado),[1] is a memorial in Chapultepec, Mexico City. Its construction started in 2012 during the presidency of Felipe Calderón and it was opened on 5 April 2013, during Enrique Peña Nieto's administration. As its name suggests, it was created to pay tribute to those who had been victims of violence in the nation.
The memorial is composed of 70 different-textured steel walls, and numerous reflectors projected light at different angles, some of which were originally underwater. Julio Gaeta and Luby Springall, working through their firm Gaeta Springall Arquitectos, were in charge of the architecture, while Lighteam was the company in charge of the lighting. The creators described their work as an incomplete and unfinished project where citizens can add the names of the victims. Around 40 quotes from historical figures about violence and memory are also inscribed on the walls.
The project was well-received by architecture and art publications. In 2014 the memorial won the Best Use of Color Award at the AL Light & Architecture Design Awards. However, it received polarized comments from human rights groups and society due to two factors. The first was the involvement of Calderón in the project as he started the Mexican drug war in 2006, while the second was its location at Campo Marte, a venue operated by the Secretariat of National Defense, whom acquaintances of the victims have accused of being complicit in the violence. The city government stopped funding the memorial's maintenance in 2021 citing that it was not a priority.
- ^ Sánchez Jiménez, Arturo (6 March 2016). "Crece el número de víctimas de la violencia; documentados, más de 8 mil casos: Comité 68" [The number of victims of violence is growing; more than 8,000 cases documented: Committee 68]. La Jornada. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2023.