Teatro de los Insurgentes
Teatro de los Insurgentes (English: Theater of the Insurgents) is a theater located on Mexico City's Avenida de los Insurgentes.
It was built by José María Dávila in 1953 as part of President Miguel Alemán's program of urban renewal. Dávila commissioned muralist Diego Rivera to paint La historia del teatro, a visual history of the theatre in Mexico on the building's façade. The Marxist artist placed the character of Cantinflas in the center of the mural in the form of a Robin Hood figure, distributing the wealth of the rich to the poor.
The theater's inaugural performance was Cantinflas' elaborate return to the stage after considerable success in films. The work, Yo, Colón, placed Cantinflas in the role of the Paseo de la Reforma statue of Christopher Columbus, who came to life and made candid "discoveries" about contemporary Mexican society.
It hosted the weightlifting competitions for the 1968 Summer Olympics.
American Latin rock band Santana played here on September 24, 1973 as a part of their Caravanserai Tour.
References
- 1968 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 2. Part 1. p. 78.