Mexico City Plans $6 Million Renovation For Mariachi Plaza

Mexico City’s Plaza Garibaldi is in the midst of a massive makeover, in the hopes of restoring the historic site to its former beauty. The iconic plaza is famous for the hordes of mariachi bands that have been performing there since they were given the presidential go-ahead in 1943, but after many years of neglect it’s mostly a hangout for drunks and thieves.

“It’s a disaster,” says Kryzmary Cuevas, a 23-year-old Venezuelan student visiting the plaza with some friends. “It’s dirty and ugly, and I don’t like it one bit.”

Not all are put off by the stinky smell and run-down feel, however. The mariachi bands are a big attraction and, on weekends, there can be as many as 1,000 of them working in the plaza. Obviously, there are a fair number of tourists and locals still willing to put up with the locale for the sake of the music. But the current tourism minister for D.F., Alejandro Rojas, said he wants the plaza itself to be a source of pride for the city:

“We want to return the shine to the place and make it into a 24-hour attraction, not just a nocturnal one. The plaza is one of the icons of Mexican culture but it has fallen on very hard times.”

Plans for the make-over include redesigning the plaza and adding a tequila museum and mariachi academy - all by 2010 if construction goes smoothly. Security cameras and patrolmen will be added to combat the crime that is now rampant in the plaza, and the tourism ministry hopes that with the plaza revamped and safer than ever, business will flourish throughout the plaza’s neighborhood. Which is lovely for the city but kind of tragic for anyone with a nearby apartment because, let’s be honest, 24/7 mariachi music isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time. (Except maybe Alejando Rojas’ ?)

$6m plan to make Mexico City resound [Financial Times]