The Azteca stadium in Mexico is an essential reference in the history of World Cups. Next year, organized between Mexico, Canada and the United States, the third World Cup will take place in this monumental construction. … It was already the scene of Mexico 1970 and of Mexico 1986. No other stadium on the planet has three disputes for the top of football.
Azteca, inaugurated in 1966, is the most sublime territory in the history of this sport. He witnessed the magic of Edson Arantes Do Nascimento, “Pelé”, the rebellion of Diego Maradona, the talent of Johan Cruyff and the tactical genius of Franz Beckenbauer.
In the 19 World Cup matches it has hosted in its history, goalkeepers such as Italian Dino Zoff, Belgian Jean Marie Pfaff and German Toni Schumacher have shone. In the middle of the field, Michelle Platini and the Brazilians Zico and Rivelino fought. In front of their endless stands, Gary Lineker, Gerd Muller and Jorge Burruchaga shouted for goals.
Azteca, south of the Mexican capital, is home to so many memories, crowning achievements, glories and controversies that it is probably the closest thing to an ‘Aleph’ football, a field which, in allusion to the term coined by Jorge Luis Borges, concentrates the entire world of football.
Its sixth major renovation
In the run-up to next year’s World Cup, this temple of baseball will undergo its sixth renovation. Built by architects Pedro Ramírez Vázquez and Rafael Mijares Alcérreca, Azteca was a project of the television mogul Emilio Azcarraga Milmowho since the mid-1960s had sought to have Mexico host a World Cup, which would take place in 1970.
The land where the stadium is located was part of the old ejido of Santa Úrsula. It is a space of volcanic rock, product of the eruptions of the Xitle volcano. To begin construction, 180 million kilos of rock had to be dynamited over an area of 64,000 square meters. These efforts made it possible In 1962, work on the stadium began.
Its construction began in 1962 on the orders of the tycoon owner of Televisa Emilio Azcárraga Milmo. For the work, 180 million kilograms of rock had to be dynamited over an area of 64,000 square meters. The architects of the works were Pedro Ramírez Vázquez and Rafael Mijares Alcérreca.
Property of the Televisa company, The main generator of Spanish-speaking content and the leading television network in Mexico and the United States, the stadium which houses the América club underwent renovations in the 1980s, 1990s and even in the 2000s.
The work is progressing at a good pace
The current work has been going on for 18 months and He works constantly, seven days a week. More than a thousand workers are participating in the construction with the mission of increasing the capacity of the Azteca Stadium from 83,000 to 87,000 spectators. The entire project will require an investment of more than 3 billion pesos (150 million euros).
The main visible change from the remodel is that The distance between the public and the playing field will be reduced. In these areas, seats will be added, as is the case in various European and American stadiums, which will increase the influx of people.
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Millions of euros are being invested in this reform project, which will, among other things, increase the capacity of the Azteca stadium from 83,000 to 87,000 people.
The placement of new seats is progressing at a good pace, particularly in the upper tier, where progress is already over 50%. In the part of the lower stands, i.e. the VIP area, progress is already almost complete.
Another important aspect of remodeling is the new press box, designed to accommodate hundreds of journalists. This space will have better visibility, greater capacity and work areas suitable for global transmissions. Beneath the stands, work is being carried out around the clock on a new ventilation system and drainage mechanism which will help contain the rains that hit the south of Mexico every summer, when the World Cup will be played.
The stadium’s access and exit routes will also be improved, a completely renovated lighting system will be installed and the sound system will be completely redesigned.
ABC accesses the Colossus of Santa Úrsula
It’s two o’clock in the afternoon and the colossus of Saint Ursula It is immersed in the silence of lunchtime, when many workers seek their spaces around the stadium to regain strength before returning to work that knows no rest.
Currently, only two cranes remain in operation, located on what will be the World Cup turf – three-quarters of the pitch, for those in the know – and they have a height of almost 50 meters to the top of the stadium.
“We are looking for a complete renovation that combines architectural, technological and functional elements so that the fan has the best experience while preserving the essence of the stadium,” he explains to ABC. Félix Aguirre, deputy stadium director and currently responsible for supervising all of the work.
Aguirre points out that dressing rooms and reception areas have been moved so that stands gain space, and that a strong investment in connectivity has been implemented so that participants have access to the Internet. At the same time, the new stadium will have thousands of meters of LED screens.
As for the grass, where In six months the World Cup will begin. Aguirre says that a very high-tech semi-hybrid grass will be planted which will allow the field to be ready to start a football match within minutes, even after heavy rain, without major setbacks.
“We are doing the renovation thinking about the future of the stadium. Of course, we have a World Cup in the middle and that is why we have respected FIFA’s requirements, but our basic idea is this: to transform one of the most emblematic states in the history of football into one of the most modern”, comments the coach.
The impact of the renovation goes beyond the stadium. The neighborhoods surrounding it – Huipulco, Pedregal del Carrasco and Santa Úrsula – see their daily lives dominated by excavators, mounds of stone and sand, cement trucks and cranes.
The reaction of neighbors is ambivalent. Roberto Silva, owner of a grocery store two hundred meters from the stadium, is optimistic. “The World Cup will bring a lot of movement of people And this for local businesses is very positive because it also encourages us to improve, to have electronic means of payment and even to speak English to serve foreign customers,” the merchant explains to this editorial staff.
Adela Herrero, andRather, she is concerned about the possibility that Stadium improvement ends up gentrifying the neighborhood and raise rent prices too much. “This neighborhood has always been a popular place, for workers, for workers, for women who raise their children alone and any increase in housing rents poses a problem,” he says. Currently, renting a Huipilco costs around 300 euros per month, but since the World Cup phenomenon, increases of 100% have been recorded.
In March: Mexico and Portugal
The Azteca is a carousel of memories inseparable from its next inauguration, next March, for a match between Mexico and Portugal. On the field where Cristiano Ronaldo will play, one of the greatest matches in the history of the World Cup was played, in Mexico 1970, the so-called “match of the century” between Italy and Germany, two powers who had drawn 1-1 in the 90 minutes, but who offered a football spectacle in extra time for the final result of 4-3 in favor of the azzurra.
In Mexico ’86 Maradona scored two of the most memorable goals in the same match, against England. of World Cup history. One without the ability of his legs – “the hand of God” – and another which is the demonstration that football can be something perfect: a progression from the middle of the field to escape half of the England team and score past a devastated Peter Shilton. In one game, earthly controversy and almost abnormal skill.
The Aztec of Calamaro
Like any emblematic place, the stadium had to have its anthem and in 2004 the Argentine musician Andrés Calamaro sang it. ‘Estadio Azteca’ is one of those melodies that you feel more intensely when you know its origin, when you walk through the corridors of the place that gave way to the words, when you cross its stands and when you look at the sky from the middle of the field of what will be your new turf.
This is where the “Giant” appears to whom Calamaro sings in the full dimension of his story, which crystallizes from this maxim intoned between melancholy and nostalgia: “They say there’s good/bad/they say there’s more or less/, they say there’s something to be had and few of us have it“.
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