The history of Centro Cultural del México Contemporáneo
(CCMC)
goes back to the 17th
century, when the first Dominican friars arrived in Mexico City from Spain.
At this time CCMC comprised one of the three main buildings of the Santo
Domingo convent. Its original name was Patio de los Generales (Square for
General Studies), and it was mainly used for prayer and meditation.
In the 19th century
the place served as housing for civilians, and at the end of that century became a military headquarters. At the end of the 20 th century, the three original buildings which were part of the Santo Domingo convent were rebuilt, and the CCMC was restored using traditional techniques to return the site to its original appearance.
The unique Patio de los Generales
incorporated a new conception of space, bringing a different function to the site. The restoration highlighted the magnificence of the building, using modern materials such as concrete, steel and marble; the use of these materials was a perfect example of material resemiotization – the main theme of Semiofest 2022.
We couldn’t imagine a better venue in the whole city
to hold Semiofest 2022:
a resemiotization in architecture to create a place where everybody is welcome!
