Fuente de Cibeles

The Fuente de Cibeles was a gift from the community of Spanish residents of Mexico City as a symbol of the bonds between Mexico and the People of Spain. It’s a replica of the famous fountain on the Paseo de Cibeles in Madrid.

The original was commissioned by Charles III of the architect Ventura Rodríguez in 1777. Rodríguez designed the work that was sculpted between 1777 and 1792. The work was carried out by two prominent artists of the time. Francisco Gutiérrez created the Cibele in her chariot, and Roberto Michel carved the two the lions representing Atalanta and Hippomenes.

• Cybele is an ancient mother goddess thought to have originated in Phrygia, in western Anatolia, today’s Turkey. She’s thought to have been a national deity of that ancient kingdom. Over hundreds of years, she was adapted by Greek colonists who propagated her cult in mainland Greece and further west by the 6th century BCE. She came to be known as Magna Mater, i.e.; “Great Mother,” in the Roman state. As the Sibylline oracle, she came to be revered across the Roman Republic  especially for the Sibylline Prophecies. Her influence continued throughout the period of the Roman Empire. In our own time, she inspired the character of Sybill Trelawny in the Harry Potter novels.

The version in Mexico City was dedicated in 1980 by Mexican President José López Portillo and then-Mayor of Madrid , Enrique Tierno Galván. It was restored with similar pomp in 2011.

The fountain occupies the old Miravalle square which had been a 19th-century property boundary. The plaza was modified in 1980 to accommodate the fountain. The sculptural group is about 12.5 meters long, 4.7 wide and 5.5 m high. The weight is some 12 tons.

Today the Fuente de Cibeles is not just an important landmark, but the site of a major weekend street market.

The Turibus South/Coyoacán and Historic Center circuits both stop on the north quadrant of the glorieta. The stop is marked just west (to the left of) the northeast stretch of Oaxaca avenue. Passengers can also transfer between routes here.