Sam Speaks

Must See Monterrey Forum 2007

October 2007

Sam, always scouting on behalf of our community, trekked up from SolutionsAbroad’s world headquarters in Mexico City to the northern industrial city of Monterrey, Nuevo León. The reason was that the venue for this year’s Universal Cultural Forum is this, Mexico’s third-largest metropolis of 3+ million people. Inaugurated on the 20th of September, the cultural extravaganza runs until the 8th of December of this year and is a must-visit for everyone who is able to make the trip.

Monterrey and Its Fundidora Park, Convention Center and Fairgrounds

Monterrey is a worthy destination on its own. Although it is the least culturally and historically rich of the 3 largest cities (Mexico City and Guadalajara can both claim to be epicenters of both), Monterrey’s natural dramatic setting at the foot of the impressive Sierras, as well as a per capita income similar to many developed countries, make it worthwhile. Downtown Monterrey itself is not particularly noteworthy (except perhaps for the neoclassical government buildings), but the suburb of San Pedro Garza García has a lovely residential area, some world class hotels, skyscrapers, shopping malls and boutiques. The area has many spectacular, clean and safe parks and outdoor attractions, including waterfalls, stalactite-filled caves and breathtaking mountaintops. Its museum offering, although small, has something for everyone. Fundidora Park, where the Forum takes place, is the site of an old steel mill, next to the downtown core. The complex is impressive, with a new Holiday Inn, a massive arena (for shows), a large amphitheater and a recently completed canal. It is the most “disneyfied” park in Mexico – clean, functional and well-maintained, including the iconic, enormous factory and smokestack building that is now a museum.

As part of the infrastructure created around the Forum, a canal called “Paseo Santa Lucía” links Fundidora with the edge of Monterrey’s historical center and two new museums. Guided boats take people from one end to another and there are restaurants along the “riverwalk,” similar in style to San Antonio, Texas, a few hundred miles to the North.

On Gods, Migrations, Allegorical Shows and Blast Furnaces

There is too much going on for your correspondent to go into detail, all of which can be seen at www.monterreyforum2007.org. The amount of time a visitor needs to see everything can be underestimated. After 12 hours at the fairgrounds, Fundidora Park (the location of a massive old steel mill), the events covered were about half of what is on permanent display.

A good place to start is at the Isis and Quetzalcóatl exhibit, which has side-by-side expositions of the Egyptian goddess Isis and the pre-Colombian mythological God, Quetzalcóatl. The museum setting is spectacular. Those of us who have had a chance to visit other showcases of Egyptian art can attest to the fact that the Monterrey exhibit is among the best showings of Egyptian artifacts in the world, with some real gems that should not be missed.

In the center is a glass pyramid, which is cleverly designed to look like both the stepped pyramids of Mesoamerica and the stepped pyramid of Djozer at Saqqara in Egypt at the same time. On the Quetzalcóatl side, the sound tracks and videos displayed alongside the English and Spanish explanations make for an excellent immersion course in pre-Colombian civilizations. The universal representations of both Isis (Cybele, Aphrodite, Venus, etc.) and Quetzalcóatl (Kukulcán, Ehécatl, Topiltzin, etc.) allow the exhibit to take you beyond their host civilizations into others in which they had influence.

Another worthwhile exhibit is América Migración, which tells the story of the multiple migrations that have made the Americas what they are today. For those who want to learn about the past of these two great continents, the exhibit is breathtaking. Further, it puts in context the great 20th century migration of Latin Americans to the United States. Other worthwhile exhibits include “Buddha Guanyin” and “Frida” at the Museum of Contemporary Art, among others. Finally, on the Forum website users can look up the hundreds of conferences that are taking place in the context of the Forum, with topics ranging from science to urban development to environmentalism.

At around 8 p.m. crowds gather around the main multi-storied factory building where an allegorical show is presented, a show that is meant to be emblematic of humanity’s quest. The centerpiece, beyond the acrobats, is a 40ft. marionette called “Luca.” The sounds and lights are impressive, even if some of the texts projected on the walls are a little heavy-handed with their “global conscience” message.

The backdrop for the “Show Emblemático,” as the sound and light extravaganza is called, is the main blast furnace for the old factory. Inside is what is surely one of the best representations of the industrial processes used to make steel anywhere. It is at the “Horno 3,” where there is also an excellent restaurant and bar with a balcony that overlooks the fairgrounds and the city. Reservations are required.

From inside Mexico, Monterrey is easy to get to. Beyond the 40, or so, cheap daily flights from Mexico City and Toluca, most major Mexican destinations offer direct flights. For those in the San Miguel de Allende area, the recently-inaugurated direct flight from Querétaro is inexpensive and very useful. Monterrey is also readily accessible from international destinations, with direct flights from Houston, Dallas, New York, Madrid, Los Angeles and Miami.

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