Under the name "The Route of Friendship," we imagine charitable projects or social routes that involve connecting with people we know or with whom we can establish a good relationship. Far from achieving this goal, The Route of Friendship was developed with the intention of creating a symbol of peace and brotherhood across all continents.
In 1968, Mexico hosted the Olympic Games in its capital, at a time when the country was projecting itself as the central stage of modernity in Latin America. On the occasion of the event, the country championed two initiatives of such cultural richness that they endured over time to become heritage sites. The first was the development of the distinguished graphic identity of the three lines and the entire iconography developed for the city. If one takes a tour of the city's Metro network, one can observe the internal signage of the metro stops: a series of glyphs created as a visual initiative stemming from the need for a universal language for all attendees of the event. The second was the launch of the world's largest sculptural corridor: The Friendship Route.
A sculptural circuit consisting of 19 monumental sculptures by 16 artists from all continents was led by the Polish-Mexican architect, designer, painter, art critic, and poet Mathias Goeritz (1915–1990). The route runs along part of the Southern Ring Road (an avenue that met the requirements of the new urban infrastructure of the time, which demanded the integration of the characteristic volcanic landscape with the artistic project).
Conceived as a route to be undertaken primarily by car—it's worth noting the era of full modernization and the functional, but also social, significance of owning a car for every household—this belt of works not only reflects dated creative trends but also highlights Mexico City's ambitious urban growth projections.
Each and every one of the sculptural pieces is characterized by an abstract and poetic character, identifying with Goeritz's own direction, who called for an emotional architecture that would fulfill not only a commercial or residential function, but also shock.
Signs by Angela Gurría. Mexico
The Anchor by Willi Gutmann, Switzerland
Three Graces by Miloslav Chlupac. Czechoslovakia
Articulated Wall. Herbert Bayer. Austria
Sun by Kiyoshi Takahashi, Japan
The Bipedal Sun by Pierre Székely. Hungary-France
Doors to the Wind by Helen Escobedo, Mexico
Tower of the Winds by Gonzalo Fonseca, Uruguay
African Charamusca by Mohammed Melehi. Morocco
Grzegorz Kowalski's sundial
The Friendship Route, abandoned into oblivion for perhaps too long, has been completely swallowed up by Mexico City's uncontrolled growth. The number of lanes that have been expanded along the Southern Ring Road itself in an attempt to address the city's traffic crisis, the speed at which cars travel, and the sheer volume of traffic in a city with more than 22 million inhabitants make the works extremely difficult to see today, even though they are truly monumental (some of them reach 22 meters in height). The route is impossible to follow as a pedestrian.
A legacy as a permanent and monumental gallery, transformed into Mexican heritage, it united the spirit and ambition for modernity and growth that permeated Mexico and embodied the artistic and Olympic ideals of both its leadership and the country. Indeed, the Games are understood as ephemeral and temporary events that alter the passage of time, leaving a permanent mark on the cities that host the event every four years and becoming a cultural heritage.
Credits:
Sol by Kiyoshi Takahashi: https://www.podiomx.com/2013/04/sol-de-kiyoshi-takahashi-estacion-4.html
Sundial: https://www.archdaily.cl/cl/626480/liga-interludios-11-ruta-de-la-amistad
The Anchor, Bipedal Sun, Tower of the Winds: https://mexicocity.cdmx.gob.mx/tag/ruta-de-la-amistad/?lang=es
