“The guardians”, by the Juchitec sculptor Sabino Guisu, open the way for visitors to the Diablos Museum. A unique story, inaugurated last April on the east side of the Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium, which since its inception integrates the concepts of art and sport; on the one hand, a collection of relevant works by Francisco Toledo dedicated to the king of sports, and on the other, generous spaces in the complex destined to exhibit murals, sculptures, and installations by outstanding Oaxacan artists, Francisco Ramos Peña Roja, director of the stadium and tour host for El Economista.
Diablos Museum: A Chest of Gold
“Something magical has happened at the Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium since the Red Devils of Mexico started the 2022 season: time stops on the left side of the fabulous fire diamond. The Diablos Museum is already a reality. It is an enclosure that symbolizes a chest of gold where the glory of yesterday, the legends of today and the deeds of tomorrow will live together forever”, is how the director of the museum and Communications Manager of the Red DevilsAgustin Castillo.
He reveals that this home run is largely due to Santiago Harp Grañén, “who, from a very young age, almost without knowing it, was in charge of putting together the collection that today is the soul of this site, unique in Mexican sports.”
at the gates of hell The Devils two sculptural pieces are exhibited -“The extraterrestrial” and “The insect”-, of Eleanor Carringtonwhich welcome the museum, in whose rooms the fans can recall the history of the scarlet team, relive their triumphs in an immersive room, appreciate historical photographs, such as the one that recalls the victory over the New York Yankees in 1968 or the of Cuban leader Fidel Castro wearing the cap of the Mexican team.
The journey through this time tunnel recalls the exploits of the team in its five venues, from Parque Delta in the 1940s, to the monumental Alfredo Harp Helú stadium, the first to be built in Mexico City in the last 50 years, designed by architects’ offices Alonso de Garay Y Francis Gonzalez Pulidowhose model presented in 3D testifies to the marvelous architecture of the complex.
The history of uniforms of the ninth is also exhibited, as well as bats, balls, mitts, helmets, caps and masks -and photographs of their wearers-, who were and have been protagonists in memorable plays; finally, the trophy room, “Ganar a la Diabla”, gathers the real testimonies of the victory in the Mexican Baseball League in 1994, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2008 and 2014, while the titles prior to 1994 were symbolized by through sculptures, made by artists summoned by the team’s board. “Again, art and sport come together here,” says Castillo.
Art even in the cap
The attendees will not escape the sports colossus, the polished clay murals of the painter and sculptor Jose Luis Garcia“Living and dying playing baseball” I and II, and the wrought iron sculptures that immortalize the names of each of the people who participated in its construction, from the architectural design to the construction work, all with an exquisite aesthetic proposal. .
And speaking of aesthetics, few fans know that the design of the prints on the cap for the 2022 season, limited edition, is the authorship of the plastic artist Jeronimo Lopez Ramirezbetter known as dr lakrason of the famous teacher Francis Toledoand they tell us that for the first time a variant in the design of the distinctive “M” of the Red Devils of Mexico. Without a doubt, a collector’s item.