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Faro del Comercio is a monument designed by the accomplished Mexican 
El Faro del Comercio was built in commemoration of the founding of the Chamber of Commerce of Monterrey's on its 100-year anniversary. It is located near the south end of the
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{{coord, 25, 39, 58.30, N, 100, 18, 36.10, W, display=title 2006 in Mexico Buildings and structures in Monterrey Landmarks in Monterrey Towers in Mexico Cultural infrastructure completed in 1984 Monuments and memorials in Mexico Tourist attractions in Monterrey Towers completed in 1984
Faro del Comercio is a monument designed by the accomplished Mexican architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
Luis Barragán
Luis Ramiro Barragán Morfín (March 9, 1902 – November 22, 1988) was a Mexican architect and engineer. His work has influenced contemporary architects visually and conceptually. Barragán's buildings are frequently visited by international ...
and constructed in 1984 by architect Raúl Ferrera. It is a recognizable sight in Monterrey among many other modern manmade landmarks, such as Neptune's Fountain ( Fuente de la Vida), the Monterrey City Hall, the Papal Bridge (El Puente del Papa
El puente del Papa (''The Pope's Bridge'') is a bridge located in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, across the usually dry Río Santa Catarina. It took its name when Pope John Paul II offered a Catholic mass over the bridge.
A flea market by the sa ...
), and the Bridge of Unity (Puente de la Unidad
Puente de la Unidad or Viaducto de la Unidad is a cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge designed by Óscar Bulnes that crosses the Santa Catarina River and connects the cities of Monterrey and San Pedro Garza García in the Mexican state of Nuev ...
) in San Pedro, connecting that municipality to Monterrey. These sites are intended on one hand to complement the city's few remaining traditional landmarks, such as, the Bishopric Palace (Palacio del Obispado
The Palacio del Obispado, Spanish for Bishop's Palace, is located in Monterrey, Nuevo León state, Northeastern Mexico. It contains a museum.
The Palace was constructed on the slopes of a hill, later named Cerro del Obispado (Bishop Hill) afte ...
) and Museum, the City's Cathedral ( Catedral Metropolitana de Nuestra Señora de Monterrey), the Central Post Office (old Monterrey City Hall), and the State of Nuevo León Government building, on the north end of the Macroplaza. On the other hand, they are also intended to project an image of a city that prides itself as being the most progressive large industrial city of Mexico.
El Faro del Comercio was built in commemoration of the founding of the Chamber of Commerce of Monterrey's on its 100-year anniversary. It is located near the south end of the Macroplaza
The Macroplaza or La Gran Plaza is a town square or plaza located in the heart of the city of Monterrey, Mexico.
The Macroplaza is the fifth-largest plaza in the world and the largest Plaza in Mexico. It has an extension of 400,000 square met ...
facing the City's Cathedral and behind the new Monterrey City Hall. El Faro del Comercio is 69.80 meters tall and 12.33 meters wide. Its bright reddish-orange color attracts attention when visiting the Macroplaza, Monterrey's central park.
At nights, the landmark frequently projects a rotating green spotlight which interrupts the city's night sky with its beam in a somewhat random cycle in the Metropolitan Area of Monterrey. Recently (2007), many large reflecting white spotlights from the nearby Museum of Mexican History Museo de Historia Mexicana and Santa Lucia Riverwalk
Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...
, and around the Bishopric Hill where in 2005 the largest Mexican flag was installed (Banderas monumentales
The banderas monumentales (Spanish for "monumental flags") are a collection of tall flagpoles containing large flags of Mexico located throughout Mexico. They are part of a program started in 1999 under President Ernesto Zedillo that is currentl ...
) and flown at night, as well as from high-power reflectors of many commercial establishments, clash randomly in the sky, visible from most locations in Monterrey and the surrounding areas.
After failing or being "out of commission" for several years due to an impractical technical laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fi ...
mechanism which intended to have three colored lasers and a much greater visual impact on the dark skies of the surrounding areas, some of the original mechanism was salvaged and partially replaced and redesigned to have some operational ability with the green color. The redesign has some success since green is the color for which the eye is most sensitive and allows the perception of more light for the power limitations. However, the new design falls far short of the original claims for the construction. The structure was repainted after the laser renovation and reinaugurated at the 196th Independence Day Anniversary celebration on September 16, 2006.
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{{coord, 25, 39, 58.30, N, 100, 18, 36.10, W, display=title 2006 in Mexico Buildings and structures in Monterrey Landmarks in Monterrey Towers in Mexico Cultural infrastructure completed in 1984 Monuments and memorials in Mexico Tourist attractions in Monterrey Towers completed in 1984