Torres de Satélite

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Torres de Satélite seen from the Anillo Periférico
Torres de Satélite seen from the Anillo Periférico

The Torres de Satélite ("Satélite Towers") are located in Ciudad Satélite ("Satellite City"), a middle class and high class residential zone, in the northern part of Naucalpan, Mexico. One of the country's first urban sculptures of great dimensions, had its planning started in 1957 with the ideas of renowned Mexican architect Luis Barragán, painter Jesús Reyes Ferreira and sculpturer Mathias Goeritz. The project was originally planned to be composed of seven towers, with the tallest one reaching a height of 200 meters (about 650 feet), but a budget reduction forced the design to be composed of only five towers, with the tallest measuring 52 meters (170 feet) and the shortest 30 meters (98 feet).

Goeritz originally wanted the towers to be painted in different shades of orange, but changed his mind later due to some pressure from constructors and investors. It was finally decided the towers would be painted in red, blue, yellow and white, the so (incorrectly) called primary subtractive colors.

Thus, in the first days of March 1958, the Satélite Towers were inaugurated as the symbol of the newborn and modern Ciudad Satélite. Recently, they have been promoted by the local government to be included into the UNESCO's World Heritage Sites list.

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