Campo Marte is a venue under the administration of the

Secretariat of National Defense The Mexican Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA; ) is the government department responsible for managing Mexico's Army and Air Forces. Its head is the Secretary of National Defense who, like the co-equal Secretary of the Navy, is directly answe ...

(SEDENA). Named after the ''

Campus Martius The Campus Martius (Latin for 'Field of Mars'; Italian: ''Campo Marzio'') was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about in extent. In the Middle Ages, it was the most populous area of Rome. The IV rione of Rome, Campo Marzio, which covers ...

'' (

Field of Mars The term Field of Mars () goes back to antiquity, and designates an area, inside or near a city, used as a parade or exercise ground by the military. Notable examples of places which were used for these purposes include: * Campus Martius, an area i ...

), it is used for military and government events, as well as

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

events. Campo Marte is located next to the

National Auditorium National Auditorium () is an entertainment center at Paseo de la Reforma #50, Chapultepec in Mexico City. The National Auditorium is considered among the world's best venues by specialized media. It was designed by Mexican architects Pedro Ram ...

Chapultepec Chapultepec, more commonly called the "Bosque de Chapultepec" (Chapultepec Forest) in Mexico City, is one of the largest Nature Value Area´s in Mexico, measuring in total just over . Centered on a rock formation called Chapultepec Hill, one of ...

Park,

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

History

The land was acquired by the Federal Government on 31 December 1904. On 16 February 1910, the land was designated for a military equestrian club through presidential decree. In 1930, under General

Joaquín Amaro Domínguez Joaquín or Joaquin is a male given name, the Spanish version of Joachim. Given name * Joaquín (footballer, born 1956) (Joaquín Alonso González), Spanish football midfielder * Joaquín (footballer, born 1981) (Joaquín Sánchez Rodríguez), ...

, there was a promulgation for the construction of a “Casino Militar”. On 1 April 1937, the camp formally came under the control of the SEDENA. President

Manuel Ávila Camacho Manuel Ávila Camacho (; 24 April 1897 – 13 October 1955) was a Mexican politician and military leader who served as the president of Mexico from 1940 to 1946. Despite participating in the Mexican Revolution and achieving a high rank, he cam ...

declared on 26 August 1941 that the camp should be known as “Parque Nacional Anáhuac". The former name, "Campo Deportivo Militar Marte", was restored in 1972.

Military and government

The Campo Marte is the base for the presidential guards of the

Estado Mayor Presidencial The Estado Mayor Presidencial — EMP () was the institution charged with protecting and safeguarding the President of Mexico, the First Lady of Mexico and their immediate families. It is described in its regulations as a military technical body ...

. On the grounds there is a monument commemorating the

centennial A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century. Notable events Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include: * Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

of the

Mexican Army The Mexican Army () is the combined Army, land and Air Force, air branch and is the largest part of the Mexican Armed Forces; it is also known as the National Defense Army. The Army is under the authority of the Secretariat of National Defense o ...

. Although the Army has 19th century antecedents, the official founding date of the modern Army is 19 February 1913; the day that Decreto 1421 was issued in

Coahuila Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza, is one of the 31 states of Mexico. The largest city and State Capital is the city of Saltillo; the second largest is Torreón and the thi ...

. This denounced the presidency of

Victoriano Huerta José Victoriano Huerta Márquez (; 23 December 1850 – 13 January 1916) was a Mexican general, politician, engineer and dictator who was the 39th President of Mexico, who came to power by coup against the democratically elected government of ...

and gave the Governor of Coahuila,

Venustiano Carranza José Venustiano Carranza de la Garza (; 29 December 1859 – 21 May 1920), known as Venustiano Carranza, was a Mexican land owner and politician who served as President of Mexico from 1917 until his assassination in 1920, during the Mexican Re ...

, the ability to establish a military force to restore constitutional order. Campo Marte is the location of a Monumental Mexican Flag measuring 50 meters long by 28 meters wide located on a

flagpole A flagpole, flagmast, flagstaff, or staff is a pole designed to support a flag. If it is taller than can be easily reached to raise the flag, a cord is used, looping around a pulley at the top of the pole with the ends tied at the bottom. The fla ...

that is 100 meters high.

Sports events

It hosted the

dressage Dressage ( or ; , most commonly translated as "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrianism, equestrian sport defined by th ...

and individual jumping events of the

competitions for the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

. It was where the

2008 World Polo Championship The 2008 World Polo Championship, eight edition, took place in Mexico during May 2008 and was won by Chile. Background This event will bring together eight teams from around the world in the Campo Marte of the Mexican capital, where they will pl ...

took place.

References

1968 Summer Olympics official report.
Volume 2. Part 1. p. 77.

Venues of the 1968 Summer Olympics Olympic equestrian venues Sports venues in Mexico City {{Summer-Olympic-venue-stub