University City and the plastic integration movement in Mexico

Abstract

The “Plastic Integration Movement” took place in Mexico during the 1950s. It was characterized by efforts to incorporate mural paintings, sculpture and decoration into architecture, in order to create a Mexican expression. However, as such incorporation failed to be planned from the very conception of architectural works, many concerns and debates arose that questioned the purposes and channels of such incorporation. This movement was misunderstood and, in some cases, disapproved by both Mexican and foreign architects, but was also considered a good opportunity to express our culture and oppose to the so-called international architecture, which had modernity as a goal, but failed to incorporate domestic cultural conditions. University City is the best example of the energy of this movement. Although it was developed according to international architecture parameters, the murals added to the exterior walls of buildings, together with the gardens and exterior flooring, gave this architectural complex a clearly Mexican look, making it modern and regional at the same time. This movement was brief, but its productions deserve acknowledgement and shall be protected. That was the case of the central circuit of University City, declared in 2005 a Mexican Art Monument, and recognized in 2007 by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.