Central Library (UNAM)
Encyclopedia
Central Library is the main library in the Ciudad Universitaria
Campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). It holds one of the largest collections in Mexico
. It is in a group of landmark buildings that make the Campus a World Heritage site.
The outside of the library building is covered with various mural
s, which were painted by Juan O'Gorman
.
center, where it had been for the previous 50 years.
project). Lazo was very exited, especially by the idea of making a mural made just out of thousands of colored tiles, something that never had been done at that scale.
The tiles were brought from many different parts of the country because a large number of colors were needed for the construction.
This mural represents the ancient past of Mexican Culture, having a rough representation of what Mexico City was originally. It contains a River that encompasses what used to be the Center and on the border the symbols for the different surrounding neighborhoods are represented.
In the Center a Tenochtitlan representation recreating the Mexico City foundation legend, in which the natives were supposed to found their city in the place where they find an eagle eating a snake and standing in a cactus.
Ciudad Universitaria
Ciudad Universitaria , Mexico, is UNAM's main campus, located in Coyoacán borough in the southern part of Mexico City. Designed by architects Mario Pani and Enrique del Moral, it encloses the Olympic Stadium, about 40 faculties and institutes, the Cultural Center, an ecological reserve, the Central...
Campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). It holds one of the largest collections in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It is in a group of landmark buildings that make the Campus a World Heritage site.
The outside of the library building is covered with various mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
s, which were painted by Juan O'Gorman
Juan O'Gorman
Juan O'Gorman was a Mexican painter and architect.-Biography:O'Gorman was born in Coyoacán, then a village to the south of Mexico City and now a borough of the Federal District, to an Irish father, Cecil Crawford O'Gorman and a Mexican mother...
.
History
The library opened its doors for the first time on April 5, 1956, after being moved from its original location in Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
center, where it had been for the previous 50 years.
Services
The library has book loan services, and online searching and downloading of digital content that it distributes among all the UNAM servers, and accessible to all students and academics of the University.Murales
The idea for the mural was proposed by O'Gorman to Carlos Lazo (Manager of the Ciudad UniversitariaCiudad Universitaria
Ciudad Universitaria , Mexico, is UNAM's main campus, located in Coyoacán borough in the southern part of Mexico City. Designed by architects Mario Pani and Enrique del Moral, it encloses the Olympic Stadium, about 40 faculties and institutes, the Cultural Center, an ecological reserve, the Central...
project). Lazo was very exited, especially by the idea of making a mural made just out of thousands of colored tiles, something that never had been done at that scale.
The tiles were brought from many different parts of the country because a large number of colors were needed for the construction.
- North Wall: Pre-Hispanic Past
This mural represents the ancient past of Mexican Culture, having a rough representation of what Mexico City was originally. It contains a River that encompasses what used to be the Center and on the border the symbols for the different surrounding neighborhoods are represented.
In the Center a Tenochtitlan representation recreating the Mexico City foundation legend, in which the natives were supposed to found their city in the place where they find an eagle eating a snake and standing in a cactus.
- South Wall: Colony Past
- East Wall: Contemporaneous World
- West Wall: The University and Modern Mexico