Man vs. Nature

Cosmovitral Botanical Garden

A visit to the Cosmovitral Botanical Garden of Toluca, Mexico is truly a man vs. nature experience. A botanical garden housed within the beauty of a building wrapped in a mural of stained glass windows called "Cosmovitral". The running theme of the mural is about man and his relationship to the universe. Cosmovitral, is the coming together of two words, cosmo for the universe and vitral which is Spanish for glass. The building that now houses the Botanical Garden was originally constructed in 1910 as the 16th of September Market, in honor of Mexico's Day of Independence. In 1975 the market closed it's doors and the building sat vacant until 1978, when Leopoldo Flores convinced city government to convert the building into a space for art. It was Flores, who envisioned the stained glass additions and use of the floor space as a botanical garden. In 1980, with the mural of stained glass windows completed, "Cosmovitral" opened to the public. As quickly as the doors opened, they closed due to a change in government. Ten years later, the stained glass ceiling was constructed and the doors were re-opened. The bright colors of the stained glass, mixed with the cooling colors of the plants, is a visual sensation! Your eyes don't know where to look first and it is impossible to take it all in at once.

Hombre Sol (Sun Man)

As in so much of Mexico's architecture, historical and cultural significance is structurally incorporated into a building. Cosmovitral is no exception. Each year, on the day of the Spring Equinox, nature's sun aligns with "Hombre Sol". When the rays of the late afternoon sun pass through the stained glass work, the image of the sun appears as if it is on fire! Until his death, in 2004, Leopoldo Flores, hosted this annual event with a musical concert timed to the passing of the sun..............

La Senora