Fundidora Park and Santa Lucia Riverwalk: A Lifestyle Transition?

Where Industry, Art and Culture converge

I am living in Silicon Valley, California, but I am from Monterrey, Mexico. I was reading an article about how Silicon Valley in California has evolved over time. How it shifted from being an Agricultural Paradise to a Technology Hub, and how it may probably shift to the Green Tech Valley.

Cities just as individuals go through stages. Wisdom of the old people shines when they become storytellers of all the things that happened and all the changes that their eyes were able to see over time. Change is happening all the time, sometimes is subtle and sometimes is radical.

I have been traveling the last 3 years in different places of North America. When I was in Monterrey, I remember being immerse in a culture of extreme hard work, surrounded by pipes, metal, smoke and noise. People were always thinking about business and money (That haven't changed much here). They were stressed and always working extra hours. Always in a rush with their cars cursing the people they stumble upon. There were no time for the artist. Or at least, that was what I felt. So, knowing that I was an artist by heart (Astrology is also a sort of Art, by the way) I felt overwhelmed by the environment and I quit... so I moved. But now, after my trip to Monterrey, I am viewing a different picture. Especially if I focus my attention to what has been happening on Santa Lucia Riverwalk and Fundidora.

Fundidora was a big steel foundry company that operated from 1900 to 1986.
In the 90's fountains, gardens and trees that were planted, made it a recreational park.
Now, artists show their paintings and sculptures under a roof saturated of pipes and big rusty hooks. And people watch movies from around the world in a place that was saturated of loud noises in the past.

Santa Lucia Riverwalk was one of the small bubbles of beuty and art of this industrial-heavy metal city. It was seen as an extension of the History Museum. But after the 2007 Universal Forum of Cultures that took place in Monterrey, this little mole grew. A bunch of other museums suddenly appearead and Santa Lucia Riverwalk is now connecting the museums' area with the Fundidora Park.

Somehow Art and Beauty was seeping into the the Heavy-Metal Culture of Monterrey, but the Universal Forum has been a big push.

It is great to see how the city is acquiring a balance between Industry and Art. Convenience and Beuty.

Now there is a place that people want to keep beautiful. Now there is a spot where people can run away when the noise of the traffic is hard to put up with. This riverwalk is where Art, People and Industry converges and it may represent a transition for Monterrey to a more holistic lifestyle.

Enjoy the pics!