Cosmovitral Jardín Botánico

The Cosmovitral is the most distinctive sight in Toluca and a genuine surprise — an enormous stained-glass mural wrapping the walls and ceiling of a 1930s former market hall, with a small but well-kept botanical garden underneath. The glass, designed by the local artist Leopoldo Flores and installed between 1978 and 1990, runs to thousands of pieces depicting cosmic and human themes in vivid reds, blues, and oranges.

The light inside changes with the time of day and the weather, sometimes intense and saturated, sometimes muted. The botanical garden below holds several hundred plant species, mostly tropical and subtropical, in well-watered beds. Allow 45 minutes to an hour. Modest entry fee. The Cosmovitral sits on the north-east corner of the city's main square.

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A story
The building was originally Toluca's main covered market, built in 1933 in art deco style. When a new market was built in the 1970s, the old hall was repurposed as a botanical garden — and the artist Leopoldo Flores spent five years filling the walls and roof with around 3,500 square metres of stained glass on the theme of the cosmos and the human condition. It is the largest single stained-glass work in the world.