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In 1969, the British illustrator Robin Bath took a photo of one of the entrances to the Balbuena station of the Metro Line 1 right after its inauguration, at the corner of Calzada Zaragoza and Calle 16 in eastern Mexico City. This photograph is from the archive of Lance Wyman who led the identity design for the Metro. The Metro system was supposed to open before the 1968 Olympic Games but it was not finished on time. In the foreground, the original sign post for the station stands with its pink flower pictogram. In the background, there are two buildings: one with fenced windows and a door shutter; and a second one with a plant, a birdcage, a water tank, washing lines and power cables on its rooftop. The buildings appear in bright, contrasting colors, and it would not be surprising if they were painted specifically for the photograph, Potemkin village-style, as it was done in other zones of the city during the Olympic games a year before. The only two people in the shot are two policemen who, from their extremely relaxed posture, one can assume were unaware the photo was being taken.
CARTHA
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