Lights, color & rain! Tec de Monterrey celebrates 80 years in stadium

It was a party of lights, color, music, and even the rain that Nuevo León needed so much.

Tec de Monterrey celebrated FESTUM as part of its 80th anniversary with an artistic and technological show in the presence of tens of thousands of students, alumni, and professors.

The party was celebrated at the BBVA Stadium in Monterrey with more than 900 students on stage, 4 cranes, large structures, and management by the company La Fura dels Baus, which put on the shows for the Barcelona 92 Olympic Games.

This is how the institution commemorated the legacy built since a group of business owners led by Eugenio Garza Sada inaugurated the Tec on September 6, 1943.

“Today, we commemorate 80 years of history in which we celebrate the past, live the present intensely, and envision the future, always building legacies that transcend,” said David Garza, Rector and Executive President of the Tec in a video at the beginning of the event.

 

 

Human energy, technology, and water

After an hour of the show, the party was momentarily suspended due to a surprise rain shower that also added to the Tec’s celebration.

After the event resumed, the tens of thousands present in the stadium continued to celebrate and sing along to several typical songs from various regions of Mexico.

In the center of the stage, a giant 6-meter ram -the Tec’s mascot- moved around the stadium, carrying four students who led the music.

Then, twenty students in each corner of the stadium were lifted dozens of meters high, held in harnesses supported by a crane.

In the air, they formed a ‘human net’ similar to another one that hundreds of students made in the center of the stadium, illustrating the collaborative networks that have been created by the university over the last 80 years.

Earlier, in the first part of the show, a giant eagle also took flight. At the same time, a male and female student flew over it to represent humanity.

This scene depicted the triumph of Quetzalcoatl over Tezcatlipoca, which is part of the meaning of the mural on the rector’s building at the Tec.

 

“We commemorate 80 years of history and celebrate the past, live the present and envision the future, always building legacies that transcend.” - David Garza

 

The mural, sculpted by Jorge González Camarena to depict the triumph of culture over apathy, was also animated with video mapping technology on the stage.

This technology was also used to demonstrate the Tec’s internationalization, with a map of the world that filled the pitch on which students moved around freely.

“When I was given the task of producing the show, I started to research the Tec’s greatest achievements and we were able to include some of them in the show,” said Juan Vila, general director of the show for the Tec in an interview.

For his part, Carlus Padrissa, Artistic Director of La Fura dels Baus explained the combination of technology and performance to CONECTA.

“We worked with the technological innovations at hand, such as rock concert wristbands... video mapping; a giant ram...

“(And also) we like working with people: the movements and the energy of people who are like cells that together form a giant.”

 

 

I am Tec!

In the stadium, the phrase ¡Yo soy Tec! (I am Tec) was heard, as part of the anniversary’s commemorative song created by students and faculty.

Later, taking advantage of technology, the stadium was lit up thanks to each attendee wearing a bracelet with LED lights, which illuminated and formed a giant multicolored mosaic.

“FESTUM should give us pride and awareness of what the Tec has achieved: a dream, an idea from the person who had that vision of what we do as educators of better people and professionals,” said Vila.

Thousands of students, graduates, staff, and professors traveled to Monterrey from different parts of the country and the world for the live celebration.

Thousands of others watched the party from their different geographic locations via the Tec’s live.tec.mx webcast.

 

 

Also participating in the event was the Tec’s Philharmonic Orchestra, representatives of the institution’s students, alumni, and faculty.

At the end, hundreds of students formed a huge number 80 on the stage with their bodies that could be seen on the screens with a special drone shot.

Neither the rain nor the temporary suspension of the show could dampen the people’s mood and the anniversary celebration.

The event also represented an opportunity for the Tec to recognize the legacy of its community, even from early students.

For example, it announced the attendance of relatives of Francisco Vera Escota, the first student to graduate in 1946 with a degree in Industrial Chemical Engineering.

Also present were the relatives of Graciela Soriano Morelos, the first woman to graduate from the Tec in 1947, also as a chemical engineer.

 

 

Nine acts of a colorful FESTUM

FESTUM means celebration in Latin and was the name Tec de Monterrey decided to give to this show to honor the institution’s legacy.

From the beginnings of culture and history (represented in the symbolism of the Tec’s mural) to contemporary educational technology and internationalization, this celebration showcased the Tec’s legacy.

The show was divided into nine acts:

 

1. Countdown from 80 to 0; from 1943 to 2023

“Where did we start? What is the origin of who we are? September 6, 1943, takes us to September 6, 2023,” said the FESTUM program.

The event began with a countdown from 80 to 0 in the center of the pitch.

Eighty relevant Tec events were projected, one for each year of existence.

 

2. The triumph of culture and the Tec’s emblematic mural

Immediately afterward, the mural designed by Jorge González Camarena, the emblem of the institution installed on the façade of the rector’s building, was translated into a video mapping animation.

At the same time, about 200 students recreated the body of Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent, and the face of Tezcatlipoca appeared as two enormous structures.

 

3. The navel of the Moon and the curiosity and creativity of students

In the third act, a student represented a little girl who is carried away by her curiosity and soars through the air until she almost reaches the moon.

The girl was accompanied by the figures of three people who represented the guidance of the founders and professors of Tec, who pledged to strive for a better society.

 

4. Mexico at the Tec

Running down from the stadium bleachers, hundreds of students dressed in metallic gray came screaming onto the stage and formed a giant circle.

Wearing colorful bandannas, they performed dance moves while the image of the Sun Stone was projected on the white canvas of the pitch.

 

5. Legacy of values, testimonials from the Tec community

A Tec graduate, a student, and a Tec staff member represented their communities with a special message as well.

Swimmer Jaime Lomelín spoke about his experience as a graduate and high-performance swimmer and Sofía Martínez gave a message about the role of the student body.

Finally, Inés Sáenz, Vice President of Inclusion, Social Impact, and Sustainability, also asserted: “the present is our responsibility. At the Tec, we plant the seeds for the hope of a future full of possibilities.”

 

 

6. The Mexican ram

Afterward, the richness and diversity of the cultures that are part of the Tec community were represented in a mosaic of typical costumes, dances, and Mexican music.

A 6-meter-tall ram illuminated with LED lights carried student singers performing songs such as El Corrido de Monterrey, La Bamba, Cielito Lindo, and Jarabe Tapatío, among others.

 

7. From the Tec to the world

The Tec’s Symphony Orchestra, conducted by director Roberto Hernandez, played while a world map was projected on the stage in which three young people traveled along the Tec’s international routes.

Faces of foreign students also appeared on the stage, sharing testimonies of their experiences at the Tec.

 

8. Human networks and human flourishing

Near the end of the event, four industrial cranes suspended about a hundred students several meters in the air, while another formed a rectangle in the center of the stage simulating a ‘human net.’

The performance demonstrated the importance of collaboration and the formation of human networks for human flourishing.

 

9. I am Tec! The energetic closing of FESTUM

The show closed with the playback of the anniversary song I am Tec, prompting thousands of attendees to clap, dance, and sing along.

Meanwhile, on stage, the students formed a giant number 80 to culminate the celebration of the Tec’s first eight decades.

 

Tec de Monterrey on its 80th anniversary

Tecnológico de Monterrey will celebrate its 80th anniversary in 2023 with different activities, experiences, and events to commemorate its history and legacy.

The Tec was founded by Eugenio Garza Sada and a group of business owners on September 6, 1943; its first classes were taught in a large house on Abasolo Street (downtown Monterrey) to 350 students.

“Celebrating an anniversary is an opportunity to connect with each and every one of us who are part of the Tec community,” said David Garza, Rector and Executive President of the Tec.

Check the list of 80th anniversary activities.

 

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