Parque Hundido (official name is Parque Luis G. Urbina) is an urban park located in

Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican politician, military commander, and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. A Zapotec peoples, Zapotec, he w ...

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 ...

Background

Its site was occupied by the brick-making company Ladrillera Nochebuena from the mid 19th century until the beginning of

Porfiriato The Porfiriato or Porfirismo (, ), coined by Mexican historian Daniel Cosío Villegas, is a term given to the period when General Porfirio Díaz ruled Mexico under an Authoritarianism, authoritarian military dictatorship in the late 19th and e ...

, when the brick company moved away and the site became an empty depression. By 1910, several species of trees were planted, creating the Nochebuena forest (''Bosque de la Nochebuena''). The area has been populated since late 18th century. However, the area was a collection of small towns and was, at that time, far away from Mexico City itself. In the late 1930s, having paved and widened

Avenida de los Insurgentes Avenida de los Insurgentes (), sometimes known simply as Insurgentes, is the longest avenue in Mexico City, with a length of on a north-south axis across the city. Insurgentes has its origins in what was during the early 20th century known as ...

, the city government decided to use the beautiful setting of the forest to create a new park. Its layout comprised gardens, walkways, a dual jai-alai/ fronton court, and fountains for visitors to enjoy. In the late 1940s, when modern urbanization began around the park, it became known as the "Chinese Park", since its landscaping evoked Chinese gardens, but this changed in 1972, when several reproductions of archaeological pieces were placed in various parts of the park, though the layout was barely modified. Six walking routes were traced: the highlands, the Zapotec, Mayan, Olmec, Totonac, and Huastec, with artistic reproductions of precolombian stone work; each route was marked with a distinctively colored line on the floor. Today, these routes are used by runners and joggers.

Features

The main attraction is a floral clock, created by a prestigious watchmaker Relojes Centenario. It is located at the center of the park, near a flag pole (the highest point in the park) and at the end of a wide staircase that leads to Avenida de los Insurgentes via a small plaza named Plaza

Dolores del Río María de los Dolores Asúnsolo y López Negrete (3 August 1904 – 11 April 1983), known professionally as Dolores del Río (), was a Mexican actress. With a career spanning more than 50 years, she is regarded as the first major female Latin Am ...

, a tribute to one of the great divas of

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

and the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. There is also an audiorama for up to 141 people, surrounded by lush vegetation, suitable for listening to classical music and poetry. It hosts a free cineclub that screens classic and contemporary Mexican and international film and events such as conferences, bingo games, some small-scale plays, workshops or jazz festivals. A special area is reserved for off-leash dogs. A chess area and some concrete seating structures are also found in the park. In recent years, the children's playground was upgraded, EcoBici stations were added, a bike track was added and a restrooms were added. The park is home to a large number of birds, squirrels and lizards. There are also a large number of cats which are fed and kept inside the park. The corner of Insurgentes Avenue and Porfirio Díaz Avenue, which is also part of the park, has been a busy rush-hour crossing since the Mexico City Metrobús opened in 2006, and includes a fountain and a statue of

Vicente Guerrero Vicente Ramón Guerrero Saldaña (; baptized 10 August 1782 – 14 February 1831) was a Mexican military officer from 1810–1821 and a statesman who became the nation's second president in 1829. He was one of the leading generals who fought ag ...

on a horse, that was a gift from the State of Guerrero to Mexico City. This corner has, since the 1970s, been a meeting point for weekly Sunday bike rides. The AC Bicycletero Movement meets under the statue of the hero of Independence of Mexico, and under the name of ''Biciperros'' still perform Sunday walks that are free to all.

Notes and references

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