A 36-metre marble column topped by a gilded bronze Victory holding a laurel wreath stands in the centre of one of the busiest roundabouts on the Paseo de la Reforma. Commissioned by President Porfirio Díaz for the 1910 centenary of Mexican independence, El Ángel has become the de facto national monument — the place Mexicans gather to celebrate football victories, mark protests, and ring in the new year.
The base contains the remains of the leaders of the independence movement (Hidalgo, Morelos, Allende, and others) in a small mausoleum. The street around the column is dense traffic; the safest viewing is from across Reforma at the BBVA tower, or from inside the Sheraton Hotel directly opposite. Climbing the column is occasionally permitted with advance booking.