Mexico pauses army museum plan for Chapultepec park
Mexico's Defence Ministry has paused plans for a military museum complex in Bosque de Chapultepec, the historic public park in Mexico City.
Officials are looking for an alternative site after widespread opposition, including from the head of the city administration, according to The Art Newspaper. The search for a new site is now under way.
In September, the Secretaria de la Defensa Nacional, Mexico's defence ministry known as Sedena, announced a museum dedicated to the army, the air force and the National Guard. The chosen plot is owned by Sedena. It still falls inside the boundary of the park.
The scheme was big. Reforma, the Mexico City newspaper, reported at least four separate buildings of two to three floors each. The documents described an archive and storage facility, a 464-seat auditorium, parking for 447 vehicles, a store, a cafe and an accommodation block for soldiers.
The price tag was large. Construction was projected to take about three years and cost Mex$1.66 billion (US$92 million). That is a major spend in a city that already has more than 150 officially designated museums.
The location drove much of the objection. Bosque de Chapultepec carries a legal status as an area of environmental value, which protects it from most development. A multi-building museum, car park and living quarters raised questions about concrete on protected green space.
Clara Brugada, head of the Mexico City administration, joined the opposition. Brugada is a senior member of Morena, the country's ruling party. Her stance gave the campaign added force.
The row also reflects the army's widening footprint in culture and tourism. The army oversees the holding company that manages the Tren Maya, the passenger railway loop around the Yucatan Peninsula. It has also assumed control of the archaeological ruins at Tulum in Quintana Roo, formerly run by the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, the federal heritage agency.
What makes this stand out is the paper trail. The land ownership was clear. The park boundary was clear. In the end, the boundary mattered more.
For anyone planning a museum trip, the army museum will not be joining the park's existing offer for now.
