If there were a time machine in Mexico City, it would be the Hellenic Cultural Center. Its first stone was laid in Spain in the 12th century, and since it arrived on our Avenida Revolución, it has become an unmissable venue for the city’s cultural programming. Not to mention, of course, being the venue chosen by Naomi Watts for her wedding to Billy Crudup in 2024.
A little piece of medieval Europe where we can now experience a moment worthy of being written by J.R.R. Tolkien. Listen to Gollum’s Song, One Ring to Rule Them All, or Into the West with a live string quartet in an architectural gem of the Americas? Yes, you can, and it’s this exclusive concert dedicated to The Lord of the Rings.
Editorial credit: María Ruiz Cervera/Wikimedia Commons
Hellenic Cultural Center: from Spain to New York to Mexico City
The history of the Hellenic Cultural Center is worthy of a movie: both the Gothic chapel and the Romanesque cloister were built during the Middle Ages in Spain. However, the famous American press magnate William Randolph Hearst (who loved to collect European art) bought it in the 1920s.
The building was dismantled stone by stone and packed into boxes to be shipped to New York. These boxes were never opened for economic reasons with the arrival of the Great Depression. After Hearst’s death, Mexican businessman Nicolás González Jáuregui acquired them in 1954 and moved them to Mexico City, where architect Luis Ortiz Macedo reassembled the entire building.
At the end of the 20th century, the financial problems of the González Jáuregui family led to the property passing into the hands of the federal government, which donated it to the Institute for cultural use.
Date and time of the “Lord of the Rings” concert
Editorial credit: Instituto Cultural Helénico, A.C./Facebook
And now, its Gothic Chapel is covered with thousands of warm candles for a concert in honor of The Lord of the Rings. An evening that sounds like Middle Earth and comes from Candlelight in collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences. And tickets are flying.
Of the nine dates that were scheduled, there are only three left: February 13, May 7, and May 14. And Gandalf probably already has his ticket.