Faro de Comercio: Monterrey Travel Guide (4.3★)

An orange blade beside the cathedral

Faro de Comercio is not built like a lighthouse. It is a tall, flat-sided slab of orange concrete, roughly 70 metres high, rising straight out of the paving of the Macroplaza. Seen side-on it is almost a line. From the front it is a wall of colour against the grey ridge of the Cerro de la Silla.

It stands right behind the Catedral Metropolitana de Monterrey. The cathedral’s pale stone and baroque façade sit next to a modernist monolith with no ornament at all. Nobody tries to blend the two. Most visitors are photographing the cathedral, so the Faro often gets far less attention than it deserves.

Barragán’s tribute to commerce

The monument went up in 1984 to mark the centenary of Monterrey’s Chamber of Commerce. That explains the name: a “lighthouse of commerce” for a city that built its identity on industry and trade. The design is by Luis Barragán, the Pritzker Prize winner, working with Raúl Ferrera.

That alone makes it a stop for architecture fans. Barragán is best known for houses and walled gardens in and around Mexico City. Here he worked at urban scale, using the flat planes and saturated colour of his private work. Look for the deep notch cut into the slab. It is the one gesture that breaks the solid face, and it changes as the light moves across the plaza.

Seeing it after dark

The Faro was designed to project laser beams over downtown at night. The green line sweeping across the rooftops is what many Regiomontanos remember about it. Whether the laser runs on a given night is not guaranteed, so go expecting the floodlit tower and treat the beam as a bonus.

The tower is lit in the evening, and the orange reads very differently under artificial light. Good places to view it:

• From the cathedral steps, for the classic stone-against-concrete contrast
• From the open centre of the Macroplaza, to take in the full height with the Palacio Municipal in frame
• From the edge of Barrio Antiguo, where it rises over the low colonial rooftops

Walking the Macroplaza around it

The Faro sits on one of the largest public squares in the world, so it is easy to string together a walking loop. Nearby, on foot:

• Catedral Metropolitana de Monterrey, directly beside it
• Palacio Municipal, the city hall that faces the plaza
• MARCO (Museo de Arte Contemporáneo), at the southern end near the cathedral
• Barrio Antiguo, the old quarter of cobbled streets, bars and galleries just east
• Paseo Santa Lucía, the riverwalk, reached from the eastern side of the Macroplaza

Zaragoza station on Metro Line 2 drops you on the Macroplaza, a short walk from the tower. If you’re staying in San Pedro Garza García or near Fundidora, a taxi or app ride to the cathedral is simplest.

How to visit Faro de Comercio

There is no ticket, no gate and no way inside. It’s a sculpture on a public square, which is why Google lists it as open 24 hours. You walk up, look and walk on. Plan on 15 to 30 minutes, longer if you’re photographing it.

Some habits that help:

• Come at two times of day. Late afternoon shows off the orange in daylight. Return after dinner in Barrio Antiguo for the lit version.
• Mind the cathedral. If a Mass or wedding is on, keep photography of the Faro’s base low-key. The two share the same patch of paving.
• Use the local name. Locals and taxi drivers know it as “el Faro del Comercio”. Asking for “la Macroplaza, por la Catedral” works just as well.
• Northern sun is strong. The plaza has little shade at midday in summer, so the softer hours make for a more comfortable visit.

When it rewards the detour

Few people plan a trip around a single concrete slab. Still, this is one of the few public works by Mexico’s most celebrated architect that you can see for free, at any hour. It also sits on a square you will probably cross anyway. Give it a deliberate stop rather than a glance from a passing car.

Pair it with MARCO if you like modern art, or with a walk through Barrio Antiguo if you want food and drinks. Either way, it is worth 20 minutes of your time on the Macroplaza.