Cosmovitral

The Cosmovitral is a stained glass mural and botanical garden located in Toluca, Mexico. The building takes its name from the mural which is set in the building's huge windows that surround the building and in the ceiling. The building originally was constructed in 1910 as the 16 de Septiembre Market. It was not until 1975 when the first female Mayor of Toluca, Yolanda Sentíes, had the 16 de Septiembre Market reallocated and successfully gauged enough social and political support to transform the building into a space for art. El cosmovitral was designed by the notable local artisan Leopoldo Flores.

The building began as the 16th de Septiembre Market. It was constructed between 1909 and 1910 with the aim of opening it for the centennial of Mexico’s independence. It was the first permanent market built in the city. The building is Art Nouveau designed by engineer Manuel Arratia, with the metalwork done by Fundidora y Aceros Monterrey. The building covers a half hectare and only the bottom third is of concrete. The upper two thirds and the roof are made of metal and glass. The design of the building resembles a train station. The market was the most important in Toluca. On Fridays, this market would be surrounded by a tianguis, or flea market that would block many of the roads around it. The building was closed as a market in 1975.

When the market closed, there were several ideas about what to do with the space. Some wanted to sell it to private interests, some wanted to clear it for a plaza but Leopoldo Flores successfully lobbied to make the buildings huge windows and ceiling into a space for art. It was also decided to convert the floorspace into a botanical garden.

The concept of Leopoldo Flores was novel – a mural done in stained glass that would encircle the building on its windows and run along the ceiling. Before executing it, the artist spent a year studying and developing the concept, and working out the engineering issues. The name of the mural is “Cosmovitral,” which is an amalgam of “cosmos” and “vitral” (Spanish for glass). The name is now used for the building as well as the artwork. The theme of the work is “Man and his relationship with the universe.”

The project began with a complete scrub-down of the market building as well as reinforcements to the walls to support the weight of the about-to –be-installed stained glass windows. At the same time that the building was being prepared, the Angel Maria Garibay Plaza was built on the west side of the building.

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