Angel of Independence

Why go

victory column located on a roundabout over Paseo de la Reforma in downtown Mexico City. El Ángel was built to commemorate the centennial of the beginning of Mexico's War of Independence, celebrated in 1910. In later years it was made into a mausoleum for the most important heroes of that war. Description The base of the column is.

What to look for

• Notice how Angel of Independence relates to the surrounding streets and skyline.
• Look for surviving details that reveal the site's principal historical layer.

The full story

quadrangular with each vertex featuring a bronze sculpture symbolizing Law, War, Justice and Peace. Originally there were nine steps leading to the base, but due to the sinking of the ground fourteen more steps were added. On the main face of the base, which faces downtown Mexico City, there is an inscription reading La Nación a los Héroes de la Independencia ( The Nation to the Heroes of Independence ). In front of this inscription is a bronze statue of a giant lion led by a child, representing strength and the innocence of youth during War but docility during Peace. The column itself is 36 meters high. The structure is made of steel covered with quarried stone decorated with garlands, palms and rings with the names of Independence figures. Inside the column is a two-hundred step staircase which leads to a viewpoint above the capital. The Corinthian-style capital is adorned by four eagles with extended wings from the Mexican coat of arms used at the time. Crowning the column there.

Useful to know

• Allow enough time to see Angel of Independence and its immediate setting without rushing.
• Check current official access information before entering any managed interior.

Your next visit

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