Surely you’ve seen it, at least in photos, but do you know the origin of the Kiosko Morisco? This monument is representative of the Santa María la Ribera neighborhood a construction made entirely of iron, located in the Alameda of this neighborhood, stay and learn some interesting facts!
When was the Kiosko Morisco built?
Let’s travel back in time to XIX when the engineer José Ramón Ibarrola set himself the task of planning a work that would represent Mexico at the Universal Exposition, an international fair that took place in New Orleans during 1884.
It should be noted that this was the first time that our country participated in an event of this type. Here pieces from different countries were brought together in order to showcase the technological, cultural and scientific advances of each region.
About its structure
One of engineer Ibarrola’s objectives was that the Kiosk should be made entirely of iron. However, it was a challenge that seemed impossible at the time; there were no metal smelters with that level of processing in Mexico.
However, it was with the help of entrepreneur Andrew Carnegie that the mission was completed. He was an investor and owner of the most important foundry companies in Pittsburgh. Thanks to the good relationship they had, this job was able to be executed: an all-iron structure!
This work was able to participate in the 1884 fair as Mexico’s pavilion. Such was its success that it was also present at the 1889 Paris Fair and the 1904 St. Louis Missouri Fair.
Your arrival in Mexico
After its tour around the world, the Kiosko Morisco arrived in Mexico; it was installed in the Alameda Central where it remained until 1910. During this year, and as part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of Mexico’s Independence, the monument was moved to the Santa María la Ribera garden where it is currently located, and this space was given the name of Alameda.
We remind you that you can visit it at 📍Jaime Torres Bodet 154, Santa María la Ribera, Cuauhtémoc.
The Moorish Kiosk and the National Lottery
A fact that you may not know is that the Kiosko Morisco was the venue for the National Lottery drawings. To commemorate it, in July 2017 the Lottery printed more than 2 million lottery tickets with the image of this monument.