Monumento a Álvaro Obregón
Chimalistac, 01070 Mexico City, CDMX
55 3469 2077
As with most other cities in the world, Mexico City remembers the individuals of the past who have helped forge its identity. Some are still controversial to this day and even though their impact cannot be denied, the public government has only acknowledged, or celebrated, their legacy in passing, as is the case of revolutionary Pancho Villa, who in Mexico City only has one Metro station that alludes to his existence (the silhouette in the “División del Norte” logo is his). But that isn’t the case with another revolutionary that ascended to power right about the time of Villa’s death, it’s General Álvaro Obregón, who is remembered as “the organizer, the peacemaker, and the unifier of the Revolution”. He didn’t join the revolution only after its leader Francisco Madero was assassinated, and soon proved to be an invaluable military talent for the faction led by Venustiano Carranza against usurper Victoriano Huerta. He lost an arm in the 1915 Battle of Celaya fighting Pancho Villa.
Obregón became president himself from 1920 to 1924 and his term is considered the first stable presidency since the Revolution, he enacted massive educational, land, and labor reforms and retired to his ranch in Sonora after his term, but not before hand picking his successor, fellow Sonora native Plutarco Elías Calles. Obregón was assassinated as president-elect when he won a second, non-consecutive, term by a religious fanatic at a time when many Catholics felt were being oppressed by Calles’ and Obregon’s administrations. The mastermind of the whole assassination plot was supposedly a Capuchin nun, “Madre Conchita”, and he was gunned down at a restaurant called La Bombilla Café (“The Lightbulb Café”).
The location where that café once stood is now the place where a huge monument has been built to honor Obregon’s legacy, it’s the largest monument built to a revolutionary and it stands inside the Parque La Bombilla (named after the café), it’s located in the southern part of the city, in the Chimalistac neighborhood (next to the popular San Ángel neighborhood), there’s a Metrobús Línea 1 station that services the park, “La Bombilla” station. The perfectly manicured park is visited frequently by families having fun with their children (the park has a playground), walking the dog, or taking roller skating classes next to the small pond that has a system of synchronized fountains (these gushes of water are illuminated with colored lights at night).
Next to the park is the Avenida Insurgentes and many restaurants and shops, including a direct entrance to Avenida de la Paz, a cobblestone street in San Ángel lined with swanky bistros and steakhouses. The military legacy of Obregón, who was never afraid of settling his differences on the battlefield, now seems to rest in this peaceful and harmonious family-friendly location.
