Education in Mexico was one of the most important projects for the government after the revolution; therefore, in the following years it sought to update the programs and build a greater number of schools that reflected the values of the time and the advances in pedagogy. The architectural complex of the now Benemérita Escuela Nacional de Maestros (BENM) was one of the most emblematic and part of Mario Pani's buildings scattered throughout the city.
Although the Escuela Normal had been located on the site on Calzada Mexico Tacuba since 1924, in 1945 the construction of the new architectural complex began under the direction of Mario Pani, who designed a group of buildings with facades larger than those of the National Palace and a tower with a height equal to the Independence Column, 71 meters.
For many years, this tower was a landmark in the landscape of the city and especially of the area. The logo of the Normal station on line 2 of the metro is this tower.
In addition to the structures and design that followed the functionalist model, one of the great innovations of Mario Pani's complex was the construction of the pedagogical experimentation elementary schools annexed to the Normal School, as they were designed as a space where the students could practice and learn more about their work.
And following the ideas of the time on the integration of art and plastic arts in architecture, the participation of important artists was fundamental in the architectural complex of the Normal de Maestros. For example, in the access floor of the tower, there are murals by José Clemente Orozco, and in the open-air auditorium Orozco created the mural titled 'Alegoría Nacional' (National Allegory).
For the main façade, the frontispiece of this Mario Pani building was designed by Luis Ortiz Monasterio. This pediment that framed the central tower is 60m long by 6m wide and is divided into 14 scenes: on the right side it presents the cultures and advances of humanity, and on the left side they represent the main stages of national history: the pre-Hispanic era, the viceroyalty, independence, reform, the Porfiriato, the revolution and the present, where the central figure shows a teacher holding a book.
However, after the 1957 earthquake, the tower began to lean, so at first it was decided to eliminate three levels. Later, in order to avoid further damage to the rest of the school complex, it was decided to demolish it in October 1972 and today the first floor of what was the tower and the surrounding elements where the gables are located remain, so that many of us did not know the famous tower of the Normal School, but it was captured in the collective imagination.
And although several modifications have been made to the original plan in order to adapt the spaces to the new needs of the student population, the architectural ensemble of the BENM remains an important part of Mario Pani's heritage and the history of the City.
