"An extraordinary piece of research and, more importantly, historical imagination, this book makes its points clearly, with crystalline and imaginative intelligence, and with massive empirical backing." -Mauricio Tenorio, author of “I Speak of the City”: Mexico City, 1880–1930 "Castaneda makes an essential contribution by articulating the role that architecture and design, in all its variants, had in the expression, exertion of control, and propaganda of the midcentury Mexican state."-CHOICE"Spectacular Mexico does a wonderful job at describing the complex history of the design and events leading tot he 1968 Olympic Games."-Journal of Design History"Spectacular Mexico is unparalleled in its capacity to educate and enlighten the design and planning professions about the importance of symbolism in the built environment, and about the capacity of architects, planners, and urban designers to construct meaningful narratives and build monumental projects with long-lasting impacts on cities and nations."-Planning Perspectives"Spectacular Mexico is a work of noteworthy rigour, bound by way of the academic traditions of critical historiographic analysis, which ultimately offers a thoroughly detailed gaze into the historic fabric of mid-twentieth-century Mexico. "-Journal of Architecture"In accessible and well-written prose, this is a complex and rich text that adds to the body of knowledge by positioning the multiple significances of modern architecture, design, and art within political culture and the state building and glorification of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional. "-Hispanic American Historical Review"A marvelous contribution to Mexico City’s historiography. "-H-Net/H-War"Luis M. CastaÑeda fills an important gap by. . . extending the list of architects and buildings much further than the traditional survey book. . . a rigorous analysis of the politics behind the design and construction of structures that helped define twentieth-century Mexico."-Mexican Studies"Luis M. CastaÑeda quotes from numerous official memoranda highlighting the intricate connections between government officials and developers, and he writes in an eloquent, theoretically informed style that will make these materials accessible to scholars and students of architecture and urban studies who are not necessarily experts on Mexico or Latin America."-Latin American Studies Association
