Glorieta de la Palma

Glorieta de la Palma is a roundabout in Mexico City that connects Paseo de la Reforma with Río Rhin Street and Niza Street. It is known for a tall palm tree that stood in the middle for a century. The roundabout is the only along Reforma that has never had a monument.[1] The building of Bolsa Mexicana de Valores is at the roundabout, opposite the Zona Rosa.[2] The area is serviced by the city's Metrobús system at La Palma station, whose pictogram features the palm tree.[3]

Glorieta de la Palma
The roundabout in 2018
Glorieta de la Palma
Coordinates: 19°25′43.7894″N 99°9′49.2494″W

History

The roundabout was included in Louis Bolland's original plan for the boulevard,[4] and finished as Reforma's second roundabout completed in 1865.

Palm tree

In 1910, it was built the column of the Angel of Independence and according to one of the versions, the roundabout could be reserved to build another monument to commemorate the bicentenary of Independence in 2010.[5] With the passing of time, up to ten palm trees were planted and the oldest known photograph showing the middle tree is from 1920.[6] All but the central palm tree were removed around 1950.[7]

Carlos Martínez Assad, emeritus researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico contested the age of the palm and considers its real age to be between 70 and 80 years as, according to him, it was a gift from Haile Selassie, the last Emperor of Ethiopia, to Lázaro Cárdenas for his position of not recognizing Italy's occupation during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. He also said that the traffic circle was reserved for a sculpture of Benito Juárez that was sent instead to Guanajuato.[8]

The palm tree died in 2022 because of fungi and pathogens that had affected several palm trees in the city.[9] During the afternoon of 24 April, the government held a symbolic farewell ceremony and during that night they removed it.[10][11] Its remains were transferred to a vivarium in Xochimilco, where artists will elaborate sculptures with the unaffected wood.[12] At the time of its removal, the palm tree was 20 meters (66 ft) high.[13]

The city government will conduct a survey to question which tree will replace it, with options including a jacaranda or a Montezuma cypress; however, a palm tree will not be able to replace it because it would suffer from the same pathogens.[7]

  • The roundabout in 1968
  • The palm tree on 24 April 2022

References
  1. Estrada, Ana (21 April 2022). "¡Adiós, vaquera! Conoce la historia de la Glorieta de la Palma a través de fotografías". Yahoo! Style (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  2. Zamarrón, Israel (21 April 2022). "Adiós a un ícono: retirarán la palma de Reforma por esta razón". Forbes (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  3. "Línea 7: significado de estaciones". Mexico City Metrobús (in Spanish). Government of Mexico City. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  4. "Glorieta de la Palma". Mexico Es Cultura. Archived from the original on 28 December 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  5. "Glorieta de la Palma". Mexican Routes. 25 November 2019. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  6. "Esta es la historia de la Glorieta de la Palma en la CDMX". Expansión (in Spanish). 21 April 2022. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  7. "La Palma de Reforma: el adiós llega tras más de 100 años". El Universal (in Spanish). 21 April 2022. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  8. Almazán, Alejandro (22 April 2022). "¿Tiene más de 100 años? El mito de la Glorieta de la Palma". Milenio (in Spanish). Mexico City. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  9. Sánchez, Frida (21 April 2022). "Retirarán palmera de Glorieta de La Palma; la mató un hongo". La Razón (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  10. Mora, Karla (24 April 2022). "Palmas a la palma: capitalinos se despiden del icónico árbol de Reforma". El Sol de México. Mexico City. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  11. Durán, Moisés; García, José Arturo (25 April 2022). "Con sierras, retiran palmera de glorieta en Paseo de la Reforma". Milenio (in Spanish). Mexico City. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  12. Corro, Isidro (25 April 2022). "Glorieta de La Palma en Reforma amanece sin su emblemática palmera". TV Azteca (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  13. Sosa, Iván (16 April 2022). "Mengua palmera de Paseo de la Reforma". Reforma (in Spanish). Mexico City. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
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