Iztapalapa is one of the most recognized mayors in Mexico City. Its history is long, since its origins date back to pre-Hispanic times. It is even said that Hernán Cortes, to reach the great city of Tenochtitlan, passed through Iztapalapa, where he was received by the ruler Cuitlahuac, who would later become a Tlatoani of Tenochtitlan, after the death of his brother Moctezuma Xocoyotzin or Moctezuma II.
The name Iztapalapa comes from the Nahuatl language “Iztapalli”, which translates as slabs or slabs, “to tl” water, and “apan” about, which can be translated as “In the water of the slabs”.
Iztapalapa is currently considered one of the mayors with the highest poverty rate among its population, that is, something very different from what could be found in large cities around the world, for example, New York, in the United States.
However, there was a time when an element united the Mexican mayor's office and the American city. In Iztapalapa, there are several elements that distinguish it from other parts of the city, for example, the Cabeza de Juárez, a monument dedicated to former President Benito Juárez García, who was in charge of the country in the second half of the 19th century. This monument was built during the six-year term of President Luis Echeverria, in 1972, to commemorate the centenary of Juarez's death in 1872.
Architects, engineers, sculptors and painters collaborated in the construction of this plastic work. In addition to serving as a monument, it also has a small museum inside, which houses works by great Mexican painters such as David Alfaro Siqueiros and Diego Rivera. All the works refer to the Merciful of the Americas.
However, in the mid-1980s, there was another element that characterized Iztapalapa, which is located east of Mexico City, on its borders with the State of Mexico. In 1985, the mayor's office was visited by what is probably the highest emblem of the United States, located in New York: the Statue of Liberty.
The reason that this monument, which is perhaps one of the best known in the world, was the filming of a Hollywood film. It was between May and June 1985 that Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins was filmed, which was one of the classic American films of incredible adventures. This one told the story of a New York policeman who had become a spy.
The Statue of Liberty was one of the cornerstones of the film, and was even used in the promotional poster. This reproduction was built with intention for the film. Possibly, it was very expensive to film in the original, or a lot of bureaucratic paperwork had to be done, so it was preferred to build a replica.
The plot of the film is that the character Remo, hired by the United States government to fight corruption and trained in martial arts by a Korean master.
The stay of the Statue of Liberty in Mexican lands was short-lived, however, some people managed to photograph it to keep that memory. One of them was Argentine photojournalist Renzo Gostoli, who went to Mexico to do some work, and at some point he learned about the famous production and went to capture it with his camera. He himself, a few months later, would document, in a stark and shocking way, the ravages of the earthquake of September 19 of that fateful year.
It is said that the Statue of Liberty was very close to the Ignacio Zaragoza road, between what is Guelatao and the Cabeza de Juárez.
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