Glorieta de la Palma

Glorieta de la Palma
Roundabout
Glorieta del Ahuehuete
Glorieta de las y los Desaparecidos
Nickname(s): La Palma
A palm tree stands in the middle of a traffic circle
The roundabout in 2018
DesignLouis Bolland and Ferdinand von Rosenzweig
Opening date1865
Height20 m (66 ft) (palm tree)
LocationCuauhtémoc, Mexico City
AddressPaseo de la Reforma, Río Rhin Street and Niza Street
Glorieta de la Palma is located in Mexico City Central
Glorieta de la Palma
Glorieta de la Palma
Coordinates: 19°25′43.7894″N 99°9′49.2494″W / 19.428830389°N 99.163680389°W / 19.428830389; -99.163680389

Glorieta de la Palma (lit. transl. Palm roundabout) is a roundabout in Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City, that connects Paseo de la Reforma with Río Rhin Street and Niza Street. It is known for its tall palm tree that remained in the middle for a century. As of April 2024, the roundabout is the only one along Reforma that has never had a monument.[1] The building of the Mexican Stock Exchange is at the roundabout, opposite the Zona Rosa.[2] The area is serviced by the city's Metrobús system at El Ahuehuete BRT stop (formerly "La Palma"), whose pictogram formerly featured the palm tree.[3]

The palm died in 2022 due to pathogens. After a non-binding poll, a Taxodium mucronatum (otherwise known as Montezuma cypress or ahuehuete) was placed in June 2022 and the city government officially renamed the traffic circle the Glorieta del Ahuehuete (Ahuehuete roundabout). At the same time, activists placed an anti-monument in memory of the more than 100,000 disappeared people in the country and symbolically renamed the place the Glorieta de las y los Desaparecidos (Roundabout of the Disappeared). The tree, however, had an unfavorable adaptation and eight months later was removed for rehabilitation and replaced with a similar tree.

History[edit]

An avenue with multiple cars. In the distance there is a traffic circle with the palm tree.
The roundabout in 1968
A sick palm tree stands in the middle of a traffic circle
The palm tree on 24 April 2022

The roundabout was included in Louis Bolland and Ferdinand von Rosenzweig's original plan for the boulevard,[4] and finished as Reforma's second roundabout completed in 1865. The Angel of Independence column was constructed in 1910 to celebrate the centenary of Independence and, according to one of the versions, the roundabout could be set aside for the construction of another memorial to mark the bicentennial of Independence in 2010.[5] Up to ten palm trees were eventually planted there, and the earliest known photograph showing the middle tree is from 1920.[6] All but the central palm tree were removed around 1950.[7]

Carlos Martínez Assad, emeritus researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, disputed the age of the palm and considers its real age to be between 70 and 80 years as, according to him, it was a gift from Haile Selassie, the last Emperor of Ethiopia, to Lázaro Cárdenas as compensation for his stand against Italy's occupation during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. He also said that the traffic circle was reserved for a sculpture of Benito Juárez that was sent instead to Guanajuato.[8]

The palm tree died in 2022 as a result of pathogens and fungi that had infected several palm trees in the city.[9] On 24 April, the government conducted a symbolic farewell ceremony in the late afternoon, and that evening, it was cut down.[10][11] Its remains were transferred to a vivarium in Xochimilco, where artists would elaborate sculptures with the unaffected wood.[12] The palm tree had a height of 20 meters (66 ft) high.[13]

Ahuehuete roundabout[edit]

Two Montezuma trees in the middle of a forest.
The first Montezuma tree (left) before being relocated

The city government, headed by Claudia Sheinbaum, surveyed to question which tree should replace it, with options including a jacaranda or a Montezuma cypress; however, a palm tree would not be able to do so because it would contract the same pathogens.[7] A Montezuma cypress, also known as an ahuehuete, was chosen in a non-binding poll with more than 77,000 votes,[14] Sheinbaum announced it would be planted on 5 June 2022 (on World Environment Day).[15][16] The 20-year-old tree, a native of Monterrey, Nuevo León, is 10 meters (33 ft) tall and weighs 10 metric tons (9.8 long tons; 11 short tons).[17][18]

Two days after the tree was planted, a motorist lost control of her car and slammed into the roundabout, severing one of the wires holding the tree up and tipping it over.[19] The tree had a dry appearance for several weeks as a result of the accident and the habitat shift. The tree started to exhibit signs of improvement by the end of July of that year.[20] In September 2022, the city government walled off the traffic circle to bar pedestrian entry because of the recovery slowness.[21] The safety fence was struck by another car the following month.[22] In November 2022, Saúl Alcántara, a specialist in garden conservation at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana and who collaborated in the successful transfer of other similar specimens in the city, said that the tree's chance of improvement was minimal. Alcántara attributed the causes of the drying out to incorrect re-planting beyond subsequent events.[23]

The city government announced on 9 March that since the tree did not improve, it would be replaced with a tree of the same species and nursery.[24] Two days later, the tree was removed and sent to the Xochimilco vivarium for its rehabilitation.[25]

The city government sowed its replacement on 19 May 2023. It is a 20-year-old tree that is approximately 12 meters (39 ft) tall.[26] Three days later, a man crossed the protective fence and began pouring fresh cement over the tree's roots and soil, as well as uninstalling the irrigation system.[27] The man was arrested and was charged with malicious damage to property and enviornment.[28] Sheinbaum regretted the incident and when questioned about the motives, she said, "Who is interested in killing an ahuehuete? Well, only the one with a political agenda".[29]

Roundabout of the Disappeared[edit]

A dry tree stands in the middle of a traffic circle
A dry tree lies behind many fences with Christmas decorations.
The first intervention to the traffic circle (top) featured the tree surrounded by pictures of missing people. Weeks later, the tree was enclosed by protective fences. Activists painted and placed their pictures again. Later, these were painted by the authorities with Christmas-themed decorations (bottom). After that, activists restored their paintings and posters.

On 8 May 2022, collectives in search of disappeared people symbolically intervened the empty traffic circle, renamed it and installed the Glorieta de las y los Desaparecidos (Roundabout of the Disappeared) anti-monument.[30] Photos of the missing were posted on the location, just like what occurred at the nearby Glorieta de las mujeres que luchan, which was taken over by feminists. In order to draw attention to the nearly 100,000 instances of missing persons reported in the nation as of May 2022,[a] the collectives installed the pictures. Sheinbaum rejected their initiative because "a group of people cannot be above a vote".[32] The authorities took down the images and banners in the hours that followed. The collectives' representatives claimed that they were not opposed to the Montezuma cypress and that both plans could coexist, but they criticized the government for "disappearing the disappeared" in their statements.[32]

Activists reinstalled the pictures of the missing people a few hours after the Montezuma cypress was planted, they nicknamed the tree El guardián de los desaparecidos ("The Guardian of the Disappeared")[33] and they asked the officials to officially rename the roundabout the Glorieta de las y los Desaparecidos.[34] In this regard, government representatives have mentioned that they would prefer to intervene the Estela de Luz, a monument also located on the avenue, into a memorial in honor of the missing.[35] Human rights organizations symbolically changed the names of the Hamburgo and Glorieta de Colón stations of the Mexico City Metrobús to "Glorieta de las y los Desaparecidos" and "Glorieta de las Mujeres Que Luchan", respectively on 24 July 2022. The protest symbols were used in lieu of the station pictograms in the signage while maintaining the system's design aesthetic. As a result of the numerous anti-monument memorials situated along the road, Paseo de la Reforma has been symbolically renamed the Ruta de la Memoria (Route of Memory).[36]

The photos were once more taken on 6 November 2022 and Christmas decorations were added to the security fences.[37] The following week, activists repainted the area and urged Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the president of Mexico, to keep his pledge to meet with them to address the disappearances.[38][39]

In February 2023, the city government announced that 20 volcanic rock memorial obelisks ranging in height from 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) with poems carved on them would be placed at the traffic circle. Collectives in search of missing persons criticized the project as unilateral and compared the proposal with the Memorial to Victims of Violence in Mexico located meters away from their anti-monument, which they called a "vile and offensive memorial without remembrance". Additionally, they said that if the project went forward, they would intervene in the stelae to create their own memorial.[33][40]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ As of December 2023, the reported figure was over 110,000 missing people. In that month, the government reduced officially the figure to 12,377 missing people considering that 16,681 people were found, 17,843 located, and 1,951 were duplicate reports. Of the remainder, 26,090 cases did not contain sufficient data to initiate an investigation and the acquaintances of 36,022 cases did not have updated addresses to begin investigations.[31]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Estrada, Ana (21 April 2022). "¡Adiós, vaquera! Conoce la historia de la Glorieta de la Palma a través de fotografías" [Goodbye, Cowgirl! Get to know the history of the Glorieta de la Palma through pictures]. Yahoo! Style (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  2. ^ Zamarrón, Israel (21 April 2022). "Adiós a un ícono: retirarán la palma de Reforma por esta razón" [Farewell to an icon: Reforma palm to be removed for this reason]. Forbes (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Línea 7: significado de estaciones" [Line 7: meaning of stations]. Mexico City Metrobús (in Spanish). Government of Mexico City. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  4. ^ "Glorieta de la Palma". Mexico Es Cultura. Archived from the original on 28 December 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  5. ^ "Glorieta de la Palma". Mexican Routes. 25 November 2019. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  6. ^ "Esta es la historia de la Glorieta de la Palma en la CDMX" [This is the history of the Glorieta de la Palma in Mexico City]. Expansión (in Spanish). 21 April 2022. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  7. ^ a b "La Palma de Reforma: el adiós llega tras más de 100 años" [Reforma's palm: farewell arrives after more than 100 years]. El Universal (in Spanish). 21 April 2022. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  8. ^ Almazán, Alejandro (22 April 2022). "¿Tiene más de 100 años? El mito de la Glorieta de la Palma" [Is it more than 100 years old? The myth of the Glorieta de la Palma]. Milenio (in Spanish). Mexico City. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  9. ^ Sánchez, Frida (21 April 2022). "Retirarán palmera de Glorieta de La Palma; la mató un hongo" [Palm tree to be removed from Glorieta de La Palma; fungus killed it]. La Razón (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  10. ^ Mora, Karla (24 April 2022). "Palmas a la palma: capitalinos se despiden del icónico árbol de Reforma" [Claps to the palm: capital city residents bid farewell to the iconic Reforma tree]. El Sol de México. Mexico City. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  11. ^ Durán, Moisés; García, José Arturo (25 April 2022). "Con sierras, retiran palmera de glorieta en Paseo de la Reforma" [Palm tree removed from roundabout on Paseo de la Reforma with saws]. Milenio (in Spanish). Mexico City. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  12. ^ Corro, Isidro (25 April 2022). "Glorieta de La Palma en Reforma amanece sin su emblemática palmera" [Glorieta de la Palma in Reforma dawns without its emblematic palm tree]. TV Azteca (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  13. ^ Sosa, Iván (16 April 2022). "Mengua palmera de Paseo de la Reforma" [Paseo de la Reforma's palm tree wanes]. Reforma (in Spanish). Mexico City. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  14. ^ Beltrán García, Sergio (12 August 2022). "Glorietas enmudecidas: desaparecer la memoria de las y los desaparecidos" [Muted roundabouts: to disappear the memory of the disappeared]. Gato Pardo (in Spanish).
  15. ^ "Glorieta del Ahuehuete: se plantará el árbol el 5 de junio, anuncia Sheinbaum" [Glorieta del Ahuehuete: tree to be planted on 5 June, announces Sheinbaum]. Radio Fórmula (in Spanish). 9 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  16. ^ "¡Una nueva era! Este domingo quedó plantado el Ahuehuete en Paseo de la Reforma" [A new era! This Sunday the Ahuehuete was planted on Paseo de la Reforma]. Medio Tiempo (in Spanish). Mexico City. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  17. ^ Mora, Karla (24 May 2022). "Desde Monterrey, llega a CDMX ahuehuete que sustituirá a Palma de Reforma" [From Monterrey, a new ahuehuete to replace Palma de Reforma arrives in Mexico City]. El Sol de México (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  18. ^ Sánchez, Astrid (5 June 2022). "Instalan el ahuehuete en la Glorieta de Paseo de la Reforma". La Jornada (in Spanish). Mexico City. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  19. ^ Pérez Ángeles, Vianey (8 June 2022). "Camioneta se impacta contra Glorieta de la Palma y ladea el ahuehuete" [SUV crashes into Glorieta de la Palma and tilts the ahuehuete]. SDP Noticias (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  20. ^ Vargas Isita, Héctor (22 July 2022). "Ahuehuete de Paseo de la Reforma comienza a reverdecer: Sedema" [Paseo de la Reforma's Montezuma cypress begins to turn green: Sedema]. Noticieros Televisa. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  21. ^ Lorenzana, Israel (6 September 2022). "Gobierno de la CDMX protege al Ahuehuete de Reforma; nadie podrá acercarse" [Government of Mexico City protects the Ahuehuete de Reforma; no one will be allowed to go near it]. El Heraldo de México (in Spanish).
  22. ^ "Las impactantes imágenes del choque en la nueva Glorieta del Ahuehuete en Paseo de la Reforma, CDMX" [The shocking images of the crash at the Ahuehuete Roundabout on Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City]. El Heraldo de México (in Spanish). 1 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  23. ^ Suárez, Karina (20 November 2022). "Saúl Alcántara: 'El ahuehuete del Paseo de Reforma está muerto, jamás va a revivir'" [Saúl Alcántara: 'The ahuehuete on Paseo de Reforma is dead, it will never be revived']. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  24. ^ Maldonado, Carlos S. (9 March 2023). "El ahuehuete de Reforma será sustituido por otro árbol de la misma especie" [The ahuehuete tree in Reforma will be replaced by another tree of the same species]. El País. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  25. ^ "Retiran ahuehuete de Reforma, en la CDMX" [In Mexico City. ahuehuete in Reforma is removed]. La Jornada (in Spanish). 11 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  26. ^ Cruz Calleja, Elia (19 May 2023). "Plantan nuevo ahuehuete en glorieta de Reforma" [New ahuehuete planted in Reforma's roundabout]. La Hoguera (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  27. ^ Soriano, Rodrigo (22 May 2023). "Detenido un hombre por arrojar cemento al nuevo ahuehuete de Paseo de la Reforma" [Man arrested for throwing cement at new ahuehuete tree in Paseo de la Reforma]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  28. ^ "¿Por qué delitos investiga la Fiscalía CDMX a sujeto que echó cemento al Ahuehuete?" [For what crimes is the Mexico City Attorney's Office investigating the person who poured cement into the ahuehuete tree?]. El Universal. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  29. ^ "Ataque al ahuehuete de Reforma: ¿qué pasó y de qué acusan a sujeto detenido?" [Attack on Reforma's ahuehuete: What happened and what is the subject under arrest accused of?]. Expansión (in Spanish). 23 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  30. ^ "Gobierno de la CDMX retira antimonumento a desaparecidos de la Glorieta de la Palma; la gente votó que haya otro árbol: Sheinbaum" [Mexico City government removes anti-monument to the disappeared from the Glorieta de la Palma; people voted for another tree: Sheinbaum]. Animal Político (in Spanish). 8 May 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  31. ^ Palacios, Fernando (14 December 2023). "Desaparecidos en México: Gobierno de AMLO baja de 110 mil a 12 mil los registros de personas desaparecidas" [Missing persons in Mexico: AMLO's government lowers from 110,000 to 12,000 records of missing persons]. SDP Noticias (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  32. ^ a b Guillén, Beatriz (9 May 2022). "Ni palma ni ahuehuete: los colectivos de desaparecidos toman la glorieta de Reforma en Ciudad de México" [Neither palm nor ahuehuete: collectives of the disappeared take the Reforma roundabout in Mexico City]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  33. ^ a b "Denuncian familias buscadoras imposición de memorial en Glorieta de las y los desaparecidos de Ciudad de México" [Searcher families denounce the imposition of a memorial at the Glorieta de las y los desaparecidos in Mexico City]. ZonaDocs (in Spanish). 22 February 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  34. ^ "Familias piden honrar a desaparecidos en icónica glorieta de Ciudad de México" [Families ask to honor disappeared at iconic Mexico City roundabout] (in Spanish). Mexico City: Swissinfo. EFE. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  35. ^ Sosa, Iván (29 May 2022). "Ven en Estela de Luz memorial para víctimas" [Victims' memorial planned for Estela de Luz]. Reforma (in Spanish). Mexico City. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  36. ^ "Renombran estaciones del Metrobús CDMX en memoria de desaparecidos y mujeres" [Mexico City Metrobús stations are renamed in memory of missing persons and women]. Expansión (in Spanish). 24 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  37. ^ "Familiares de personas desaparecidas acusaron que Sheinbaum prefiere ocultar los casos para no manchar su gobierno" [Relatives of missing persons accused that Sheinbaum prefers to hide the cases so as not to tarnish her government]. Infobae (in Spanish). 10 November 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  38. ^ Urrutia, Alonso (14 November 2022). "Familiares de desaparecidos reivindican glorieta como un espacio para la memoria" [Relatives of the disappeared claim traffic circle as a space for remembrance]. La Jornada. Mexico city. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  39. ^ "Activistas protestarán en la Glorieta de las y los Desaparecidos el mismo día de la marcha de AMLO: "Lo vamos a esperar"" [Activists will protest at the Glorieta de las y los Desaparecidos on the same day as AMLO's march: 'We will wait for him']. Animal Político. 24 November 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  40. ^ Magallón, Gerardo (20 February 2023). "Denuncian que obeliscos en Glorieta de las y los Desaparecidos son muestra del 'desprecio' hacia los familiares" [Obelisks at the Roundabout of the Disappeared are a sign of 'contempt' for the relatives of the disappeared denounced]. Desinformémonos.org (in Spanish). Mexico City. Retrieved 10 March 2023.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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