Probably not the easiest of monuments to get to in Mexico City and one that most only sees for a few fleeting moments as they transition from the Avenida de la Reforma onto the highway, the Fuente de Petroleros or “Monument to the Mexican Petroleum Industry” is full of symbolism and well worth the trouble of visiting. The safest and best time to walk up to the monument is on Sunday mornings while Reforma is closed for cycling; otherwise, the chances are pretty good that you will have multiple near misses with oncoming traffic.

Designed to commemorate the nationalization of the oil industry in 1938, this monument was designed by architect Vicente Mendiola and sculptor Juan Fernando Olaguíbel. Ironically, this monument was constructed over what used to be the last “foreign” owned gas station in Mexico City. Full of symbolism, this work celebrates the achievements of the Mexican oil industry and the prosperous future the now-nationalized oil industry was to bring its people.