In the framework of the 50th anniversary of the “Lic. Felipe Rivera” Planetarium, the Neighbors and Friends of the Planetarium Collective held a press conference to announce that the National Institute of Fine Arts (INBAL) has included the building in its catalog of artistic monuments.
The collective noted that the declaration implies the suspension of the physical interventions currently being carried out on the site, as part of the Michoacán government’s modernization project. “It is already part of the registry of artistic monuments and, therefore, cannot be modified without a technical opinion from INBAL,” they stated.
The members recalled that the building was inaugurated on September 29, 1975, and that in its five decades of operation, it has received approximately eight million visitors. In this regard, they emphasized that the planetarium has been an educational and cultural space of national significance.
The group also asked the mayor, Alfonso Martínez Alcázar, to close the construction until the corresponding permits are submitted and to guarantee a preservation plan for both the building and the original projector, which was dismantled this year.
Finally, the residents reiterated that they are not opposed to the modernization, but insisted that it must be carried out with transparency, technical opinions, and in compliance with the conservation measures mandated by law regarding artistic heritage.
Source: cambiodemichoacan
