Parque Jesús Reyes Heroles

Photo: AndiieVga, Genérica de Atribución/Compartir-Igual 3.0.

The Parque Jesús Reyes Heroles is a liminal space that dates from long prior to the most recent re-location of the Cuauhtémoc monument in 2004. The intersection of Paseo de la Reforma and Insurgentes Sur, is one of the busiest in Mexico City.

The park marks the site of several buildings which collapsed as a result of the 1985 earthquakes. One of these was the well-known Hilton Continental. That building had been seriously affected by the 1957 earthquake. The rebuilding and retrofitting, just two years after the hotel’s opening, was rather famously documented. Unfortunately, the 1985 quakes did irreparable damage.

The park that placated the rubble, already in 1986, was renamed for the then-recently deceased politician and historian.

• Jesús Reyes Heroles (1921-1985) was an intellectual and political leader. His published work is said to have significantly affected political discourse across 20th-century Mexico. He’s often credited with having conceived of the post-Revolutionary Mexican State. The author of “El Liberalismo Mexicano,” the book is considered a classic of the mid-century. General Director of the Mexican Social Security Institute, he was also General Director of PEMEX and the creator of the Mexican Petroleum Institute. He also served as the Secretary of Governance (Gobernación) and of Public Education.

The Parque Jesús Reyes Heroles seems to go through seasons of neglect, to be reborn again and again as a tree-shaded somewhat uneven stretch of lawn. Never far from the very center of Mexico City life, the park is simultaneously a memorial and an absence.