Faro del Comercio is a monument designed by the accomplished Mexican

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Luis Barragán and constructed in 1984 by architect Raúl Ferrera. It is a recognizable sight in Monterrey among many other modern manmade landmarks, such as Neptune's Fountain ( Fuente de la Vida), the Monterrey City Hall, the Papal Bridge ( El Puente del Papa), and the Bridge of Unity ( Puente de la Unidad) in San Pedro, connecting that municipality to Monterrey. These sites are intended on one hand to complement the city's few remaining traditional landmarks, such as, the Bishopric Palace ( Palacio del Obispado) and Museum, the City's Cathedral ( Catedral Metropolitana de Nuestra Señora de Monterrey), the Central Post Office (old Monterrey City Hall), and the State of Nuevo León Government building, on the north end of the Macroplaza. On the other hand, they are also intended to project an image of a city that prides itself as being the most progressive large industrial city of Mexico. Monterrey-Catedral

El Faro del Comercio was built in commemoration of the founding of the Chamber of Commerce of

Monterrey Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...

's on its 100-year anniversary. It is located near the south end of the Macroplaza facing the City's Cathedral and behind the new Monterrey City Hall. El Faro del Comercio is 69.80 meters tall and 12.33 meters wide. Its bright reddish-orange color attracts attention when visiting the Macroplaza, Monterrey's central park. At nights, the landmark frequently projects a rotating green spotlight which interrupts the city's night sky with its beam in a somewhat random cycle in the Metropolitan Area of

. Recently (2007), many large reflecting white spotlights from the nearby Museum of Mexican History Museo de Historia Mexicana and Santa Lucia Riverwalk, and around the Bishopric Hill where in 2005 the largest Mexican flag was installed ( Banderas monumentales) and flown at night, as well as from high-power reflectors of many commercial establishments, clash randomly in the sky, visible from most locations in Monterrey and the surrounding areas. After failing or being "out of commission" for several years due to an impractical technical

laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word ''laser'' originated as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radi ...

mechanism which intended to have three colored lasers and a much greater visual impact on the dark skies of the surrounding areas, some of the original mechanism was salvaged and partially replaced and redesigned to have some operational ability with the green color. The redesign has some success since green is the color for which the eye is most sensitive and allows the perception of more light for the power limitations. However, the new design falls far short of the original claims for the construction. The structure was repainted after the laser renovation and reinaugurated at the 196th

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

Anniversary celebration on September 16, 2006.

External links

* {{coord, 25, 39, 58.30, N, 100, 18, 36.10, W, display=title 2006 in Mexico Buildings and structures in Monterrey Landmarks in Monterrey Towers in Mexico Buildings and structures completed in 1984 Monuments and memorials in Mexico Tourist attractions in Monterrey Towers completed in 1984