F E C H A D E L B O L E T Í N

A Little history
PAGE

By Brenda Rosas and Dulce Ramírez.

The Benemerita Escuela Nacional de maestros was founded on

February 24, 1887 by official decree of Porfirio Díaz, according to
the educational project of Ignacio Manuel Altamirano. Some
years later Jaime torres Bodet requested the construction of a
new building for the Normal. For this reason the architect Mario
Pani was sought to carry out the work.

Mario Pani started Mario Pani studied at the School of Fine Arts in Paris, and he was
to build the building
for the Normal in in Mexico participating in some architectural competitions to
January of 1945 transform the architecture of the capital. Pani considered that the
and finished it in
November of economic and industrial boom of the country deserved an archi-
1947. The result tectural change, and this change had to include one million and a
was a work of
important half inhabitants that Mexico City had in those years.
dimensions with an
idea centered on
the Masonic
philosophy, that
sustained the origin
of normalism in This architectonic set, had as its main axis a ten-tower floors, as well as two
the 19thcentury. floor Jose Clemente Orozco who painted two unified frescoes called “Death
and the end of ignorance” and “The town approaches the doors of the
school” in wich represented education as a redeemer and childhood
was shaped as hope for the future, while people sitting at the level of
land represents a generation in misery, looking towards school. At the
two lateral walls, sculptural figures were placed in autorelief worked
in quarry, the images that represented scenes of national story and
world story. It´s a work of the Mexican sculptor Luis Ortiz Monaste-
rio, invited by Mario Pani to participate in the integral work of the Na-
tional School of Teachers.

HISTORY OF BUILDINGS
 PAGE

Among the architectural, plastic and sculptural elements

that make up the BENM are: Lauro Aguirre open-airtheater.
The frontispieces of Univesal History the frescoes “Death
and end ignorance” and “The town approaches the doors
of the school” the busto of Ignacio Manuel Altamirano and
the frontispieces of National History.
 History of buildings
By Yareli Yazmín Hernández Figueroa and Ilse Morales Alvarez

In the 20´s the normal chan- vernment of Manuel Ávila Ca-

ged its architectonic style
neocolonial style in the old
casco of the Hacienda de
Santo Tomas.
Jaime Torres Bodet requested
to buid a new building in the
escuela normal in the mistery
of education during the go-
macho.
Bodet elected to Mario Pani a
young architec of 23 years old
that he was graduate of the
school of Bellas Artes of Fran-
ce.

The building of Mario Pani started to build the building in

the normales
January 1945. The building was build taking
h a v i n g
alignments reference the shape in “v” of the Russian
curved with a palace of the Soviet and respecting some
side to the traces of the building of Santo Tomas.
south but only
in the buildings
of first grade.
Every classroom was
for 50-60 students; 42
classrooms were
built in total it was
estimated that 4200
students could pass
through these rooms
We can find the main auditórium “Lauro
every year. Aguirre” at the principal current entran-
ce of the Benemerita Escuela Nacional
de Maestros where there are reunions,
conference, events and concerts.

HISTORY OF BUILDINGS
 CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
BY LEYVA DIAZ GUADALUPE AND ALMA DELIA CAMACHO CRUZ.
SCHEDULES
 CHORUS :
teacher Jose
Manuel, The BENM among its multiple functions has a general direction of cultural
wendesday 13- promotion.
16hours. This office teacher Maria Eugenia Urbina Fuentes and she is in charge of
 REGIONAL organizing the following activities:
DANCE
“TZONTEMO
C”: teacher ° Extracurricular courses
Lidia Osorno,
Tuesday and °Cultural activities with managed
Thursday 14-
groups of the BENM , such as:
16 hours.
 REGIONAL
DANCE a) Youth choir of the BENM,
“TEZCATLIPO led by teacher Jose Manuel Parra.
CA”: teacher
Elizabeth
Olvera, b) Group folkloric ballet
Tuesday and Tezcatlipoca, managed by
Thursday 14- Elizabeth Olvera.
16 hours.
 CORPORAL c) Folkloric group, Managed
ESPRESSION: by Lidia Osorno, Calixto, Jose
teacher Luis.
Elizabeth
Olvera,
Tuesday and d) Cultural activities with
Thursday 14- groups outside who come from
16 hours. the BENM such as concerts ,
 COURSES dancers, plays, exhibitions,etc.
WITH
PERSONAL e) Dance, choir, music and
EXTERNAL teather courses with teachers of
TO THE
BENM the BENM.
(TEATHER):
teacher Rafael
Mejía.
By Moreno Obispo Nimsi Elizabeth and Nochebuena Heras
FRONTISPIECES: THE NATIONAL HISTORY
The frontispieces IN the BENEMÉRITA ESCUELA NA-
CIONAL DE MAESTROS are supported by Greek style
columns. These were made by the sculptor Luis Ortiz
Monasterio; they represent mexico’s history on the left
side and the humanity’s history on the right side.
MONASTERIO was invited by the architect Mario Pani in
1946 to participate in the integral work IN the BENM.
Flor Jazmín

Each SIDE wall IS 60m length and 6m. height.

The frontispieceS on the right side represent the stages:
Pre-Cortesian, Colonial, Independence, Reform, Porfiria-
to, Revolution and Current Era.

We will start with the frontispieces of Universal Histo-

ry
The Prehistoric
A central figure a holding in his right hand a seed and
in his left hand an olive plant. On the left side a man is
holding a wheel as the beginning of the civilization; on
the right side a primitive being rubs two pieces of
wood to produce fire; in the background, a dolmen, a
primitive construction.
The Religions
As mEn WERE developING, the religions APPEARED
AND THEY ARE represented by a central figure who
holds in his hands a star, a cosmic and metaphysical
symbol. On the left SIDE, David IS holding his harp; on
the right SIDE, Moses IS STANDING with the tables of
the law, AND in the background THERE ARE symbols
of DIFFERENT religions.
THE Greece
IN the center Pallas Athena IS representing culture
and science; on the right SIDE Socrates and on the left
Plato. In the background you can see the Ionic, Doric
and Corinthian columns, THEY ARE architectural sym-
bols of the classical period.
The Renaissanc
IN the center, a figure with a square in his handS, IT IS A
symbol of architecture; on the left SIDE, Leonard de Vinci,
an exponent of painting AND on the right SIDE Michelan-
gelo IS REPRESENTING THE sculpture. In the back-
ground, classical architectural elements adopted by the
Renaissance: semicircular archS and fluted columns.
The French Revolcuion

IN THE CENTER A female figure with a papyrus in the

hands symbolizes the postulates of the FRENCH Revolu-
tion; on the left SIDE Beethoven exponent of artistic
freedom, on the right SIDE Juan Jacobo Rousseau symbo-
lizing freedom of culture. In the background the Bastille
building and on its sides a Phrygian CAP and a torch SYM-
BOLS OF the slogan "Freedom, Equality and Fraternity"
The Contemporary
A central figure IS representing Science, HE holds a leve-
rage WHICH IS A symbol of our time; on the left SIDE
Einstein, on the right SIDE Pasteur.
BEHIND THEM THERE ARE mechanical elements such as
gears, a zeppelin and a stylized skull symbolizing death.
It is a warning againstif science and technology lead us irre-
mediably to annihilation.
Now the frontispieces of our National History.

In the Prehispanic scene Cuauhtémoc is in the center and

the idiograms that symbolize the school. On the left SIDE
is the "Calmecac" or noble school and on the right side the
"Telpochcalli" or popular school.
In the Colonial scene hernán cortés is in the center. he is
looking at cuauhtémoc, this symbolizes the encounter of
the two civilizations. To the flanks of Cortés, Fray Pedro
de Gante and Motolinía are representing the Spanish mis-
sionaries.
in the scene of the independence, Miguel Hidalgo is in the
middle; morelos is on his left side and Guerrero is on the
right side. Guerrero holding a flag with the image of the
virgin of Guadalupe. in the scene of the reform, Benito Jua-
rez is holding a map of mexico and there is an eagle at his
feet, both of them symbolize the mexican nationality and
identity. to the left side Melchor Ocampo is to his left side
and to the right side Ignacio Ramirez.
 The National Allegory
By. Ingrid Joseline Arceo Angeles and Belen Matias Ortiz

The National Allegory mural, which is located in the outdoor audito-

rium "Mtro. Lauro Aguirre", is at the center of the attached primary
schools, it has capacity for 2600 people or more.
It was created by José Clemente Orozco who said that "a painting
is a poem and nothing else, a poem made of relationships bet-
ween forms like

The architect who built this

auditorium, Mario Panni, invi-
ted Clemente Orozco to per-
form his first work in an open
space. The mural was made
between November 1947 and
March 1948. Below and in the
center of this painting is "the
Baroque door", which is a his-
torical and architectu-
ral vestige, where students

Also the eagle that is in the highest part of the mural, it represents the
world of the God´s, and the domination of the God´s over the terrestrial
world. The name ´´National Allegory” comes from this representations.
There is a brown hand that represents the work that Mexicans have done
to conform the country we are now.
In this mural you can also see three levels that represent the God´s
world, the earthly world and the death´s world.
Orozco said that this mural "represents the Mexican people who, in their
difficult journey through the passage of time, ascend with great difficulties
to industrial and material progress and move towards modernity."
 Botanical Garden of
I
By. Lilia Janeth Rodríguez Guzmán and Maxbeny Pérez Padilla

nside the BENM we can find the botanical garden: it was founded in 1985
by the teachers of Natural Sciences Academy. The normalists teach topics
related to the plants for can the children approaching to the nature. Currently
the teacher Raúl Álvarez is in charge of the gar-
den.
It is constituted by the areas of cactus, fruit
trees, medicinal plants, pines, hothouses, vege-
tables and ornamental plants.
It has an irrigation system, tools and substrates
for the plants good care of.
This place is
excellent for visiting The most outstanding attraction
and learning a little of the garden is the turtle pond Another attraction is the green-
more about some that attracts children and adults house of succulent plants, which
plants that we can because it is very amazing. includes a collection of Mexican
find in Mexico and it species that are in danger of ex-
is in the BENM. tinction; we found several species
of echeverias that are easy to
reproduce and can also store
70% of water in their leaves;
many workshops are
taught in order to take

The 3R’s are used

The fruit trees that we
with several materials can find in the garden
different like: as are pomegranate,
glass, pet, plastic to guava, lemon, avoca-
generate awareness, do, custard-apple, There is a small vertical gar-
tangerine, lemon without seed and den made of reused mate-
about the care of the
medlar. rial and a compost área,
envi- where all kind of organic
roment. matters as traces of bran-
The medicinal trees ches and leaves are put in
are buganvilia, la- the ground to produce a
vender, rue, rose- good soil to sow.
mary, aloe, kalan-
choe, fennel, vaporub and horsetail;
many vegetables that are planted It has a small outdoor room
chard, pumpkins and corn, now all of for children to go to classes
the plants. or workshops. It is adapted
to teach Natural Science.
We all like to get out of the
routine and what better than
By Naian Salas, Francisco Vega and Karla Cabrera
Editors:
Francisco Vega
Karla Cabrera
Naian Salas
Maxbeny