Antonio Rivas Mercado: Google pays tribute to the architect of the Angel of Independence in his doodle

This Tuesday, Google pays homage to the Mexican Antonio Rivas Mercado on the occasion of the 166th anniversary from his birth Architect, engineer and restaurateur, is famous among other works to make the Monument to Independence, known as "The Angel".

Antonio Rivas Mercado was born in Tepic, Nayarit, on February 26, 1853.since his childhood, he studied in Mexico City until at 11, he was sent to the Jesuit College of Stonyhurst College in England where he did his primary studies. In France, he is sent to study at the Lycée de Bordeaux.

Later studied architecture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and engineer at the Sorbonne in Paris, he graduated in 1878. He traveled through Italy cycling and painted landscapes to survive.

In 1879 he was already in Mexico City where he practiced his career in the same way. He has taught in schools of engineering and architecture. Established new teaching methods and he was the first to separate the two racesbecause before they were in one.

He was director of Academy of San Carlos de Bellas Artes from 1903 to 1912 and he got Diego Rivera's scholarship to study painting in Europe. He was also a Member of Parliament from 1884 to 1910.

Porfirio Díaz appointed him for the construction of the centennial commemorative column of the Independence of Mexico, known as the Angel of Independence. The original design was manufactured by the American architects Cluss and Shultz.

The engineers were responsible for Guillermo Beltrán and Puga, Gonzalo Garita, Luis Zavaterelli and Manuel Gorozpe. The sculptures are the work of Enrique Alciati. The column was over for the festivities of centenary, September 16, 1910.

Among the works that he did is the house at number 6 London Street, the current wax museum of Mexico; his house at number 45 of the Héroes street in Colonia Guerrero; the restoration of the facade of the old city hall of the city and the terminal of the Aduana de Ferrocarriles at Tlatelolco.

He also built the house of President Manuel González in Peralvillo; the municipal palace of Tlalpan; the house of his sister Juana Rivas de Torres, number 18 of avenue Juárez; his tomb at the Pantheon of Mercy; the house of Antonio Caso and Serapio Rendón, besides the decoration of one of the rooms of the national palace.

He married Matilde Castellanos Haff in 1894 and they had six children.: the first María Emilia died since a few months, the second was Alicia whose image appears on the bronze door medallion of the column of independence, the third Antonio stillborn, the fourth was Antonieta Rivas Mercado, the fifth was Mario and finally Amelia.

Antonieta Rivas Mercado was an actress, protector, writer, cultural promoter, women's rights defender and political activist.. As a child, she had the best education and when she was eight, she traveled to Paris with her father for to devote himself professionally to ballet at the Paris Opera.