Diana the Huntress Fountain



The Huntress Diana Fountain (Spanish:  Fuente de la Diana Cazadora) stands as a monumental sculptural landmark situated within the roundabout at the intersection of Paseo de la Reforma and Río Misisipí and Sevilla streets. Positioned on the border of the Colonia Cuauhtémoc and Colonia Juárez neighborhoods in Mexico City, this fountain serves as a focal point within the urban fabric of the metropolis. Designed by the Italian architect and sculptor Enrique Alciati, the fountain was unveiled in 1942 and has since become an enduring symbol of Mexico City's cultural heritage and urban landscape. The centerpiece of the fountain is a striking bronze statue depicting Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, poised atop a stone pedestal adorned with decorative reliefs and motifs. Adjacent to the Huntress Diana Fountain, several landmarks bear homage to its iconic presence within Mexico City's urban landscape. Among these notable sites are the Cine Diana (Diana Cinema) and two prominent skyscrapers: the Corporativo Reforma Diana (also known as Torre Reforma Diana) and Torre Diana.

History
Between the 1930s and 1960s, the capital authorities carried out different beautification projects that would involve the placement of various monuments and monumental fountains in the public space in tune with the mural movement and with the aesthetic influence of socialist realism.

The then president of Mexico Manuel Ávila Camacho, through the regent of the Federal District, Javier Rojo Gómez, commissioned the construction of a fountain for the roundabout that was located in Paseo de la Reforma near the entrance to the Chapultepec Forest. The project was given to the architect Vicente Mendiola and the sculptor Juan Olaguíbel, who would jointly carry out other similar projects, such as the fountain of the Plaza California in Colonia del Valle and the Oil Fountain. The topic chosen by the commission agents was Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt. On this fountain, instead of hunting animals she would point her arrow to the stars of the northern sky. The sculpture was made between April and September of 1942.