University Olympic Stadium
The Estadio Olímpico Universitario was opened in 1952 and is still used by Pumas Dorados, the American Football team of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), and by premier-league football club Pumas UNAM.
The 72,000-capacity stadium was the venue for the athletics competitions, some equestrian events, the arrival of the men’s marathon and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies at Mexico 1968. In later years it staged four matches for the 1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico and hosted events for the 1975 Pan American Games and 1990 Central American and Caribbean Games. Also used for university track and field events and training, the stadium is open for more than 50 days a year and is visited by more than a million people annually.
The Estadio Olímpico Universitario forms part of the UNAM Campus, which was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2007. The stadium’s main entrance is adorned by a vast natural stone mural created by the celebrated Mexican artist Diego Rivera.
As well as a cultural and architectural masterpiece, the Estadio Olímpico Universitario also set new design standards and provided the inspiration for Rome’s Olympic Stadium and Tokyo’s National Stadium, built for the Olympic Games 1960 and 1964 respectively.