We nearly missed this one, wandering through from Copilco metro station we were met by a series of locked gates, seeming to show the whole campus could was out of bounds. Fortunately a local shop employee was able to direct us to a back entrance. This meant our first impression wasn't that great, though the tatty looking student union office covered in revolutionary left wing leaflets and graffiti certainly did bring a nostalgic and knowing smile to my lips.

Finally in the main precincts I was actually more impressed than I thought I would be. It felt familiar, however there was evidently something a little special about it. Obviously there are was the huge mosaics on the library. They are more intelligible as a history of Mexico up close, looking less like a giant owl than I had previously thought. However it was the quality of some of the other buildings that really grabbed me. My highlight was the post graduate centre and attached Auditorio Alfonso Caso elevated on slender piloti. The sheer amount of building sized mosaics dotted around the campus really started to make an impression.

My wife reflected that this was the WHS she felt most "dragged" to Mexico City, however she was happy to see the large Rivera mosaic on the Olympic stadium across the road, and I got another tick on yet another list. If you are heading there outside term time try the entrance next to this stadium on ave. Insurgents as it seems guaranteed to be open.

For me the quality of the modernist architecture was really impressive and elevated the site beyond just a standard university campus.

[Site 7 : Experience 4]