Enter the Matrix. Mexico City, Mexico. March 2017.
Mexico City, Mexico. March 2017.
Thanks to a tip from my co-worker, Bibilioteca Vasconcelos made it to the top of the "must visit" list for Mexico City. Walking into this massive library is like walking into the matrix: angular and futuristic. The uneven composition, transparent floors, and "floating" bookshelves make this one of the most unique public institutions I have ever seen.
Bibilioteca Vasconcelos is named after José Vasconcelos, former president of UNAM (Autonomous University of Mexico) and a man who reformed the Mexican education system. This space was designed by Mexican architects Alberto Kalach and Juan Palomar and was inaugurated in 2006 after three years of construction. This massive library holds roughly 470,000 books throughout its six floors. This "megalibrary" is actually a fusion of five libraries into one with each individual library dedicated to a famous Mexican thinker: Ali Chumacero, Carlos Monsiváis, José Luis Martínez, Jaime García Terrés, and Antonio Castro Leal.
A tip if you would like to take photos with a camera—you will have to "register" and sign an agreement (en español) that your photos are for non-commercial use. Upon entering, ask a security guard where to register your camera, they will point you to a small desk on the ground floor on the opposite side of the main entrance. You will be escorted downstairs to their office to sign the paperwork; the whole process takes about 10 minutes.
