Mexico City protesters bring their own bodyguards

In July, plans were announced for a new 64-story, 984-foot-tall building in Mexico City, one that would be the tallest in Latin America. The Bicentennial Tower (Torre Bicentenario) would be built on the edge of Chapultepec Park and just inside the Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood, home to some of the city’s wealthiest residents.

On Aug. 18, a group of 500 protesters surrounded the site of the proposed building, saying it would destroy valuable parkland and add to the creeping commercialization of Lomas de Chapultepec.

The newspaper Excelsior sent a reporter and photographer, who found that some of the well-heeled protesters brought along their bodyguards — a bodyguard (almost always in a suit) is a de rigueur accessory for the rich and famous here. Excelsior ran the story with a headline that declared “The people, well-dressed, will never be defeated” (El pueblo bien vestido jamás sera vencido) a play on the famous Latin American protest chant “The people, united, will never be defeated” (El pueblo unido jamás sera vencido).

If the construction is allowed to go forward, the building will open in 2010, Mexico’s bicentennial.

Posted by Héctor Tobar in Mexico City