Mexico Week 2022 Returns In Partnership With The Consulate General Of Mexico And It’s Cultural Institute At Rockefeller Center

For the second consecutive year, “Mexico Week: Día De Muertos at Rockefeller Center” will take place from October 27 through November 2, 2022, in celebration of Mexico’s heritage and culture.

New Yorkers can engage with Mexican art, food, culture, music, and education hosted by The Consulate General of Mexico in New York City, the Mexican Cultural Institute, Museo de Art Moderno, and Rockefeller Center with generous support from Tequila Casa Dragones, American Airlines, Dos Equis, INTERprotección, and Visit Mexico USA.

An opening ceremony will take place Thursday, October 27 at 11:00 am on Center Plaza at 30 Rockefeller Plaza featuring the Consul General of Mexico Jorge Islas; artist Pedro Reyes; and Maestra Tequilera Bertha González Nieves, CEO and Co-Founder of Tequila Casa Dragones.

All events will be free and open to the public.

Wednesday, October 19 through Wednesday, November 2

●        Ahead of the weeklong celebrations, the works of Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913) will be exhibited in the lobby of 10 Rockefeller Plaza, in memory of the 170^th anniversary of Posada’s birth. The exhibition is programmed by the Consulate General of Mexico in New York and its Cultural Institute in alliance with Posada’s Art Foundation.

Thursday, October 27 through Wednesday, November 2

●        Center Plaza will once again feature a vibrant, large scale ofrenda, an altar that honors lost loved ones, this year presented by Tequila Casa Dragones and INTERprotección with the support of Museo de Arte Moderno. The ofrenda will honor Mexican modern sculptors as presented in the book MONUMENTAL: The Public Dimension of Sculpture 1927-1979 by Pedro Reyes, which celebrates the iconic sculptural art of Mexico.

●        The ofrenda on Center Plaza will be accompanied by two alebrijes by Cesar Menchaca: brightly colored sculptures of fantastical creatures depicting a massive jaguar and Quetzalcoatl (the feathered-serpent deity of ancient Mesoamerican culture).

●        At the Top of the Rock observation deck and elsewhere throughout the campus, Menchaca’s catrinas—elegantly dressed skeleton figures synonymous with the Day of the Dead—will appear as Mexican and American superstars.

Friday, October 28 through Wednesday, November 2

●        Every day from 11 AM to 10 PM (October 28, 29, 30) and 4 PM – 10 PM (October 31, November 1, 2) on Center Plaza, New Yorkers can visit a tianguis, or open-air market, featuring authentic Mexican food; handcrafted, artisanal goods; textiles; and Tequila Casa Dragones, a small batch, luxury Mexican sipping tequila.

o   Tequila Casa Dragones will offer education on the art of sipping, special tastings, and complimentary personalization with the purchase of their highly awarded sipping tequila, as well as education on the art of sipping tequilas, with their family of award-winning expressions, including their latest release, Casa Dragones Reposado Mizunara.

o   Designer Carla Fernández will have select fashions available for purchase that exemplify the textile legacy of indigenous and mestizo communities in Mexico.

o   NEW THIS YEAR: will be a public exhibition presented by famed artist Pedro Reyes of his book MONUMENTAL: The public dimension of sculpture 1927-1979. The exhibit will feature the 383-page visual and critical history of modern sculpture in Mexico. Organized by the Museo of Arte Moderno in Mexico City. Pedro Reyes is a Mexican artist that uses sculpture, architecture, video, performance, and participation. His works aim to increase individual or collective agency in social, environmental, political or educational situations.

Rockefeller Center was originally built nearly a century ago with the idea of making New York the prototype of a global city. As part of this, the Center initially launched Mexico Week in 1964 and continued it through the mid-1970s. In 2021, Rockefeller Center revived the celebration, continuing its commitment to sharing art and ideas where community, creativity, and culture collide. “Discussions of Mexico Week’s revival began after New York’s Consul General of Mexico Jorge Islas took office; his goal was to “have a unique display of the best of Mexico’s heritage in the heart of Manhattan. Rockefeller Center.”

Día de Muertos’ origin is the harmony between the celebration of Catholic religious rituals brought by the Spanish and the commemoration of the day of the dead that the indigenous people have observed since pre-Hispanic times. Celebrated by the ancient Mexicas, Mixtecs, Texcocans, Zapotecs, Tlaxcalans, Totonacs, and other native peoples, it was believed that upon dying, the souls traveled to Chicunamictlán, the Land of the Dead. Only after getting through nine challenging levels could the person’s soul finally reach Mictlán, the final resting place. The Day of the Dead, in the indigenous vision, implies the transitory return of the souls of the deceased. Those who return home to the world of the living will be nourished by the essence of the food that is offered to them by their relatives on the altars displayed in their honor. According to tradition, the border between the spirit world and the real-world dissolves at midnight, and the spirits of children and adults can rejoin their families from November 1 to November 2, 2022.

All Mexico Week installations and activities are free of charge and open to the public. Catrinas located at Top of the Rock will be available to view for ticket holders visiting the observation deck.

This year American Airlines celebrates 80 years of service in Mexico. American is the leading U.S. airline in the country, operating up to 114 daily flights to 27 cities and is home to more than 1,100 team members.

This year the airline will continue strengthening its footprint in Mexico, including daily service from New York (JFK) to Mexico City (MEX) and Monterrey (MTY), launching on November 3, 2022.

Dos Equis was brewed in 1897 by Wilhelm Hasse, a German immigrant who arrived in Mexico and founded the Moctezuma Brewery in Veracruz. Wilhelm Hasse first brewed Siglo XX, the beer we know today as Dos Equis.

He named the beer Siglo XX to usher in the upcoming 20th century with the Roman numeral “XX” signifying 20, and the Spanish word “Siglo” meaning century. The celebratory beer pushed its boundaries, and in 1983 Dos Equis was first imported to the US. Dos Equis, brewed in Mexico and loved in the US,  bonds the two cultures in a bottle. It always seeks to honor the past and to celebrate the future, and as such is thrilled to be a part of “Mexico Week: Día De Muertos at Rockefeller Center.”

For more information, please visit https://www.rockefellercenter.com/ and follow Rockefeller Center on Twitter @rockcenternyc, Instagram @rockefellercenter and @topoftherocknyc, and Facebook @rockefellercenternyc.

The Mexican Cultural Institute of New York (https://www.mciny.org)

Established in 1991, The Mexican Cultural Institute is the cultural department of the Consulate General of Mexico in New York and, an American non-profit organization simultaneously. Its mission is to generate, strengthen and promote a creative, updated, plural, and dynamic image of Mexican art and culture to foster a better understanding and appreciation of their country and identity.

Posada Art Foundation

The Brady Nikas Collection is the largest privately held collection in the United States of works from the family archive of the Imprenta de Antonio Vanegas Arroyo. The Brady Nikas Collection contains 245 printing blocks, the largest and most significant assembly of printing blocks outside of Mexico. The Brady Nikas Collection includes many iconic works by José Guadalupe Posada and Manuel Manilla such as La Catrina, El Gran Fandango, Juego de Oca, La Calavera Infernal, and La Torre Eiffel. The Brady Nikas Collection contains the widest variety in the United States of printing block types, themes, and important images by JG Posada and contemporaries Manuel Manilla, Hema, Cortes and Olviedo. In addition to these unique and historical pieces, the Brady Nikas Collection contains 1,863 broadsides, bulletins, gazettes, chapbooks, restrikes, printed editions, books, and ephemera. The owners of the Collection are Jim Nikas and Maryanne Brady, frequent travelers to Mexico for over 30 years, whose deep love of Mexico and its rich culture inspired them to build the Collection. Works in the Collection span approximately the period from 1893 to 1913. The Collection is an invaluable resource documenting the relationship that Posada had with the Imprenta de Antonio Vanegas Arroyo for whom Posada produced hundreds of religious, political (including the Mexican Revolution), sensational, historical, and the famed calavera images.

Tishman Speyer (www.tishmanspeyer.com)

Tishman Speyer is a leading owner, developer, operator, and investment manager of first-class real estate in 30 key markets across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. We develop, build and manage the premier office, residential and retail spaces for industry-leading tenants, as well as state-of-the-art life science centers through our Breakthrough Properties venture. With a global vision, on-the-ground expertise, and a personalized approach, we are unparalleled in our ability to foster innovation, quickly adapt to global and local trends, and proactively anticipate our customers’ evolving needs.  By focusing on health and wellness, enlightened placemaking, and customer-focused initiatives such as our tenant amenities platform, ZO., and our flexible space and co-working brand, Studio, we tend not just to our physical buildings, but to the people who inhabit them on a daily basis. Since our inception in 1978, Tishman Speyer has acquired, developed, and operated 484 properties, totaling 219 million square feet, with a combined value of over $121 billion (U.S.). Our current portfolio includes such iconic assets as Rockefeller Center in New York City, The Springs in Shanghai, TaunusTurm in Frankfurt and the Mission Rock neighborhood currently being realized in San Francisco.

Tequila Casa Dragones  

Founded and led by CEO Bertha González Nieves, the first female Maestra Tequilera, Tequila Casa Dragones is a small-batch producer known for its ultra-premium sipping tequilas. Launched in 2009 in Mexico, Casa Dragones has four uniquely smooth sipping tequila expressions, each with its own nuances and taste profiles. Casa Dragones Joven has a complex, smooth taste that is perfect for sipping and pairing with food, while Casa Dragones Blanco’s crisp, agave-forward taste is perfect on the rocks and in signature cocktails. Casa Dragones Añejo Barrel Blend is the result of aging their tequila in two styles of new wood casks, then blending to achieve its distinctive, rich character. Their most recent expression, Casa Dragones Reposado Mizunara, 100% Blue Agave Reposado sipping tequila, is the first tequila rested exclusively in Mizunara, a rare oak native to Japan and traditionally used for aging Japanese whiskies. Casa Dragones’ mission is to be part of the tequila producers shaping the industry for the future through innovation, modern, sustainable production and Mexican craftsmanship. The name Casa Dragones is inspired by the legendary Dragones cavalry who ignited Mexico’s Independence Movement of 1810. La Casa Dragones in San Miguel de Allende is the historic 17th-century stables of the cavalry, now transformed into a luxurious four-bedroom showcase of Mexican design. San Miguel de Allende, Casa Dragones’ spiritual home, is also home to Casa Dragones Tasting Room, or the “World’s Smallest Tequila Bar.”

Casa Dragones is available online at www.casadragones.com.com and throughout the U.S., Mexico, and select markets in Europe, Caribbean, and Canada. Follow Casa Dragones on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook (@casadragones). 

American Airlines Group
America’s purpose is to care for people on life’s journey. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL and the company’s stock is included in the S&P 500. Learn more about what’s happening at America by visiting news.aa.com and connecting with Americans on Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.

Dos Equis®

The current Dos Equis® portfolio includes Dos Equis® Lager, Dos Equis® Ambar, Dos Equis® Lager Lime & Salt, Dos Equis® Ranch Water Hard Seltzer, and Dos Equis® Margarita Classic Lime. Dos Equis® Lime & Salt is a take on the classic Lager but with a crisp, refreshing touch of lime and salt and is also available in pineapple, watermelon, and cucumber flavors. Dos Equis® Ranch Water Hard Seltzer, which launched nationwide in April 2022, is a hard seltzer with country soul and is inspired by the flavors of the classic West Texas refreshment. Dos Equis® Margarita Classic Lime, the brand’s most recent product innovation and its first spirits-based offering, is a ready-to-drink margarita cocktail that blends Blanco Tequila and high-quality ingredients to create the perfectly mixed cocktail.

Dos Equis® is imported into the U.S. by HEINEKEN USA Inc., the nation’s leading high-end beer importer, which is a subsidiary of Heineken International N.V., the world’s most international brewer. For news and updates, follow us on Twitter & Instagram @DosEquis, or visit www.dosequis.com.

INTERprotección  

INTERprotección is comprised of a group of Mexican companies that are experts in insurance, reinsurance, and surety brokerage. With over 40 years of experience, INTERprotección is recognized worldwide as a leader in comprehensive risk management and consulting in the Mexican market. Its business model is focused on ensuring outstanding solutions for the needs of each of its customers, offering best-in-class service, and generating long-term relationships through innovative and groundbreaking products, most recently with its new brand, inter.mx, its digital insurance platform that is transforming the insurance tech game.   

Pedro Reyes

Pedro Reyes (b. 1972, Mexico City) employs sculpture, performance, video, and activism to address pressing social and political issues. His works often promote individual and collective agency by inviting viewers to engage in participation and dialogue. Steeped in notions of structure and pedagogy, Reyes explores the means by which knowledge and empowerment are shared and communicated amongst individuals. By creating spaces for encounter, the artist produces the conditions by which to drive cultural change.

Pedro Reyes’ work spans many different media; he is known for pushing the boundaries of how an artist appropriates material for artistic production. His pieces leave a lasting impression, oftentimes encouraging his audience to actively engage with his art.Reyes’ work has been shown at the Venice Biennial and Art Basel Miami Beach as well as Serpentine Gallery (London), Museo de Arte Moderno (Mexico City), The Prospect Biennial (New Orleans), and museums and galleries all over the globe. He is perhaps best known for his projects Palos por Pistolas (Shovels for Guns), in which he melted collected guns into steel and used that steel to fabricate shovels to plant trees, and more recently Disarm, which used remnants of weapons seized by the Mexican army from drug cartels to fabricate self-playing musical instruments. In 2021, Reyes received the Luxembourg Peace Prize for his work on disarmament, further showcasing how his work transcends into the larger cultural zeitgeist.

Carla Fernández

Carla Fernández is one of the most recognized fashion and textile brands in Mexico. She works at the forefront of ethical fashion, documenting and preserving the rich textile heritage of her country’s indigenous and mestizo communities. Its designs are created in conjunction with more than 175 weavers, embroiderers, wood carvers, furriers, jigsaw workers and dyers from 12 states of the Republic who use traditional techniques and processes that lead to contemporary fashion.

The work she has done in collaboration with Mexican artisans has been exhibited individually in museums such as the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Isabella Stewart Gardner in Boston, Museo Jumex and Centro Cultural España in CDMX, Heath Ceramics in San Francisco, and the Fashion Institute of Technology in NY, RISD Museum in Rhode Island, among others. Her ethical fashion project has won awards such as Design Visionary 2018 awarded by Design Miami, Prince Claus Award, and Fashion Entrepreneur of the Year by the British Council, she is a member of the Ashoka network of social entrepreneurs. Likewise, the brand is certified for being socially responsible by B Companies.

Visit Mexico USA

Visit Mexico USA was formed by Kent M. Swig, Gary K.  Levi, and Alvaro Vitolo to market and promote visitor travel to Mexico. The three principals have decades of experience in the hospitality, tourism, real estate, marketing, and government sectors of the economy. With their respective backgrounds, they bring to this collaboration a wealth of knowledge to effectively create the visibility and awareness necessary to substantially increase business and tourism interest in Mexico. In addition, with this first international office of the Visit Mexico brand, the three principals have assembled an executive team that includes the best leaders in the leisure and travel and branding industries. 

Photo credit: 1) Rockefeller Center. 2) Alebrijes – Ricardo Anjeles…tesy of Tishman Speyer.