The Legislative Palace of San Lázaro (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: ''Palacio Legislativo de San Lázaro'') is the main seat of the

legislative power A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...

of the

Mexican government The Federal government of Mexico (alternately known as the Government of the Republic or ' or ') is the national government of the United Mexican States, the central government established by its constitution to share sovereignty over the republi ...

, being the permanent meeting place of the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...

, as well as the seat of the whole ''

Congress of the Union The Congress of the Union ( es, Congreso de la Unión, ), formally known as the General Congress of the United Mexican States (''Congreso General de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos''), is the legislature of the federal government of Mexico cons ...

'', when the Chamber of Deputies convenes in conjunction with the Senate of the Republic. Built in the late 20th century after a 1977 political reform, the complex is located in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

about a mile east of the

Zócalo The Zócalo () is the common name of the town square, main square in central Mexico City. Prior to the European colonization of the Americas, colonial period, it was the main ceremonial center in the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. The plaza used t ...

central square, in the Venustiano Carranza borough or district, next to the Palace of Federal Justice. The complex draws its name from its location, as the San Lázaro Railway Station was the former occupant of the grounds where the palace was built.

History

00023245-001 PALACIO LEGISLATIVO AGOSTO 24 1981 (31794623065)

After the Mexican political reform of 1977, the number of deputies of the Chamber passed from 186 to 400, and thus, it was impossible for them to convene in the former meeting place, then known as the Legislative Palace of Donceles, which is now occupied by the

Legislative Assembly of the Federal District The Mexico City Congress ( es, Congreso de la Ciudad de México, ALCDMX) is the legislative branch of government of Mexico City. Between 1988 and 1993, it was known as the Assembly of Representatives of the Federal District ( es, Asamblea de Re ...

. Thereupon, construction on a new seat of the Legislative began as a part of a plan of urban restructuring of the sector where the San Lázaro Station was located, on the limit of the

Venustiano Carranza José Venustiano Carranza de la Garza (; 29 December 1859 – 21 May 1920) was a Mexican wealthy land owner and politician who was Governor of Coahuila when the constitutionally elected president Francisco I. Madero was overthrown in a February ...

and

Cuauhtémoc Cuauhtémoc (, ), also known as Cuauhtemotzín, Guatimozín, or Guatémoc, was the Aztec ruler (''tlatoani'') of Tenochtitlan from 1520 to 1521, making him the last Aztec Emperor. The name Cuauhtemōc means "one who has descended like an eagle" ...

boroughs. Also on the property was built a new Palace of Federal Justice for the functions of the

Judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

branch of the government. The project, which was promoted by former president

José López Portillo José Guillermo Abel López Portillo y Pacheco (; 16 June 1920 – 17 February 2004) was a Mexican writer, lawyer and politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as the 58th president of Mexico from 1976 t ...

, was a faction of a massive development and public works program of the government, resulting from a Mexican petroleum boom. Construction began in September 1979, following the plans of

architects 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 ...

Pedro Ramírez Vázquez Pedro Ramírez Vázquez (April 16, 1919 – April 16, 2013)
Retrieved 2013-04-16. was a

Secretary of Settlement and Public Works), Jorge Campuzano, and David Suárez. The grounds were formally inaugurated on 1 September 1981 as a part of the 5th Government Report (the equivalent of the

State of the Union Address The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of each calendar year on the current conditio ...

in Mexico) of López Portillo, and officially at the installation of the deputies and senators of the LI Legislature of the Congress of the Union. The building was severely damaged after a fire in 1989, and President of Mexico

Carlos Salinas de Gortari Carlos Salinas de Gortari CYC DMN (; born 3 April 1948) is a Mexican economist and politician who served as 60th president of Mexico from 1988 to 1994. Affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), earlier in his career he wor ...

had it restored by Mexican architect Manuel de Santiago-de Borbón González Bravo, a renowned member of the

International Council on Monuments and Sites The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS; french: links=no, Conseil international des monuments et des sites) is a professional association that works for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage places around the worl ...

. On October 10, 2001, two

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

is, one of them a dual citizen of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, were arrested after reportedly acting in a strange manner and failing to properly identify themselves when requested. They were later found to be carrying false

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

i passports, firearms, as well as explosives, and identified as former members of the

Israeli Special Forces Special forces units in the Israel Defense Forces encompass a broad definition of specialist units. Such units are usually a regiment or a battalion in strength. Sayeret ( he, סיירת, pl.: ''sayarot''), or ''reconnaissance'' units in the ...

. The men were then released after mediation from Israeli authorities.

Architecture and restoration

The main facade of the building, which is located on ''Congreso de la Unión'' Avenue, is made up of three sections: the two ends are lined with red

tezontle Tezontle ( es, tezontle) is a porous, highly oxidized, volcanic rock used extensively in construction in Mexico. It is usually reddish in color due to iron oxide. Tezontle is a well-cemented, agglomeritic and scoriaceous rock. Uses Construction ...

and the central one with white

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

, forming a wide access plaza between them. Above the main door there is a sculptural set in bas-relief, on a green oxidized bronze plate made by artist

José Chávez Morado José Chávez Morado (4 January 1909 – 1 December 2002) was a Mexican artist who was associated with the Mexican muralism movement of the 20th century. His generation followed that of Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqu ...

, giving the total of the set the three colors of the

Flag of Mexico The national flag of Mexico ( es, Bandera de México) is a vertical tricolor of green, white, and red with the national coat of arms charged in the center of the white stripe. While the meaning of the colors has changed over time, these thre ...

. The central motif of the sculptural ensemble is the

national coat of arms A national coat of arms is a symbol which denotes an independent state in the form of a heraldic achievement. While a national flag is usually used by the population at large and is flown outside and on ships, a national coat of arms is normally c ...

, surrounded by a series of moving flags symbolizing the plurality of thoughts; faces emerge from the banners that represent the popular movements that Mexico will see. A huge feathered serpent is the symbol of traditional culture; Above it, virgules emerge that when ascending are joined with several hands, and each of these, accompanied by a different allegory, symbolizes the political, economic and social diversity of contemporary Mexico. The set is crowned by a large sun with the inscription Mexican Political Constitution. On each side, as background elements, there are representations of urban and rural cultures.

Session room

From the main door there is a direct entrance to a hall, where there are a series of murals made by muralist

Adolfo Mexiac Adolfo Mexiac (August 7, 1927 – October 13, 2019) was a Mexican graphic artist, known principally for his politically and socially themed work, especially with the Taller de Gráfica Popular and with fellow graphic artist Leopoldo Méndez. He ...

, where he narrates the history of three of the

Constitutions A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princip ...

that Mexico has had, those of

1824 May 7: The almost completely deaf Beethoven premieres his Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven) , Ninth Symphony Events January–March * January 8 – After much controversy, Michael Faraday is finally elected as a member of the Royal Society, ...

1857 Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, ''Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * Janua ...

and

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

. From the lobby there is an entrance to the Session Room, where the Chamber or the General Congress meets to meet, with a capacity for two thousand people, taking into account the galleries for special guests. In the session room, the 500 deputies and the 128 senators can meet together and is made up of a wide hemicycle that descends towards the center in a staggered manner. The side walls of the room are lined with wood, while the front is lined with the same red tezontle as the façade. On this wall, at the opposite end of the entrance to the hall, is the main visual hallmark of the enclosure: the Wall of Honor.

Wall of Honor

The Wall of Honor is a set of surfaces on which the names of national heroes, institutions or individuals recognized for their merits to the country have been inscribed in gilt bronze letters, colloquially called "gold letters", with the aim of rendering them tribute and perpetuate their names in historical memory. The wall is formed primarily by a quarry surface placed at the upper end of the front wall, next to the ceiling, and in huge gilded bronze letters is a famous phrase of President

Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Liberalism in Mexico, Mexican liberal politician and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. As a Zapotec peoples, Zapo ...

: It is accompanied by the following names: *''

Heroico Colegio Militar The Heroic Military College (officially in es, Heroico Colegio Militar) is the major military educational institution in Mexico. It was founded in 1823 and located in the former Palace of the Inquisition in Mexico City. Initially designated as t ...

'' *'' Constituyentes de 1917'' *'' A los Defensores de Veracruz de 1914'' *''

Heroica Escuela Naval Militar The Heroica Escuela Naval Militar is the officer training academy of the Mexican Navy. It began operations on 1 June 1897 with a group of cadets from the Mexican Army's Colegio Militar who had expressed an interest in training as naval office ...

'' * Antonia Nava *

Leona Vicario María de la Soledad Leona Camila Vicario Fernández de San Salvador, best known as Leona Vicario (April 10, 1789 – August 21, 1842), was one of the most prominent figures of the Mexican War of Independence. She was dedicated to informin ...

Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez María Josefa Crescencia Ortiz Téllez–Girón, popularly known as Doña Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez or ''La Corregidora'' (8 September 1768 – 2 March 1829) was an insurgent and supporter of the Mexican War of Independence, which fought ...

* Mariana R. del Toro de Lazarín * Carmen Serdán Under this phrase, there are five quarry walls, placed just behind the chamber of the Chamber, from where the Board of Directors presides over the sessions, of these walls the central one is wide and the other four are thin, two placed on each side of the center. Two large

national flags A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours ...

are placed on the central wall, one from left to right and the other from right to left, which are linked in the center with a tricolor bow, placed just below the quarry sculptural representation of the

. At the top of this wall are the names of the last Aztec emperor,

, of the Tetzcocan Tlatoani

Nezahualcoyotl Nezahualcoyotl may refer to: * Nezahualcoyotl (tlatoani), the ruler of Texcoco * Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, a city in the State of Mexico * Nezahualcóyotl metro station, in Mexico City * The Nezahualcóyotl Award, a literary prize in Mexico * Nezah ...

and another famous phrase, this time by the insurgent

Vicente Guerrero Vicente Ramón Guerrero (; baptized August 10, 1782 – February 14, 1831) was one of the leading revolutionary generals of the Mexican War of Independence. He fought against Spain for independence in the early 19th century, and later served as ...

: It then features a large number of other names, the latest one having been added in 2018, being that of the

Mexican Movement of 1968 The Mexican Movement of 1968, known as the Movimiento Estudiantil (''student movement'') was a social movement that happened in Mexico in 1968. A broad coalition of students from Mexico's leading universities garnered widespread public support f ...

Tribune

Under the Wall of Honor is the tribune of the Chamber, a space divided into two levels, at the top of which is the seat from which the Deputy President of the Chamber presides over the sessions of the Chamber or the General Congress, accompanied by the vice presidents of the Board of Directors. In sessions of the General Congress, the President of the Senate of the Republic is also placed in this rostrum and in special sessions also the President of the Republic (outgoing and incoming in case of the ceremony of transmission of the Executive Power) and the President of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation; in addition to foreign heads of state invited on the occasion of a special session. On the lower level are the Secretaries of the Board of Directors and there is also the platform from which the deputies speak in the sessions.

References