Paplote Museo Del Niño

Everyone dreads the Los Angles traffic. And I can attest that while the traffic in LA is terrible, it is nothing like the one I experienced everyday while growing up in Mexico City. The equivalent of the 101 or the 405 freeways in Mexico City is called the Anillo Periferico. My house is located just a few minutes away from el Periferico, and so we would take it everyday to go to school. I seriously believe I spent a third of my childhood stuck in traffic in el Periferico. 

Periferico (right) and the Papalote

As you move through it, especially if you are stuck in traffic (which is nearly always), you will eventually see a blue-tiled geometric building near Chapultepec. This building is one of my favorite architectural gems in Mexico City. It is called El Papalote Museo Del Niño, and I have great memories from my childhood there. 

My most fond memory from this place laying down on a bed of nails when I was 7 years old. The experience was incredible and I could not help but feel empowered and amazed at the same time. Other activities I remember include the cool blowing bubbles machines, the earthquake simulator, and the volcano explosion. All of these are incredibly fun, and every single one of my friends remember this place because of it. That’s the magic of this museum. 

Bed of Nails

While the inside of the building is what made an impression, as I grew older I started to appreciate the building for it’s sticking design. 

A beautiful and fun place to be

Designed by Ricardo Legorreta and his son Victor, and opened in 1993, El Museo Del Niño stands a a monument to the architectural styles emerging in Mexico in the 1990s. Focused on the simple geometric shapes of the triangle, circle and square -  which in three dimensions are then translated to the pyramid, the sphere and the cube -  the museum tries to tie the ideas of light, color and technology with the persistent notion of a Mexican national identity. These are explorations that lead to a massing of simple forms with a distinct fun to their composition. In addition, the colored tiles with varying shades of blue are an homage to the Aztec and Mayan heritage of the country. The light wells and the shading tents are used to bring in nature to the museum, and interact with the surrounding Bosque de Chapultepec. 

Interior/exterior areas with shading technologies

While most Mexicans will remember this building for the fun and great memories they had inside, through my architectural lens I can now see this as both a successful building and as an architectural gem that clearly influenced the architectural discourse in Mexico in the later part of the decade. Overlooking el Periferico, el Palpate Museo Del Niño stands as a monument to Mexico’s ingenious and unique architecture going into the 21st century. It is an architecture that takes itself seriously while still maintaining a light and playful tone. An architecture that forges great memories by being functional, and that stands out by being beautiful. 

As seen from el Periferico