On January 18, 2012, after 48 hours of continuous work that included the participation of 250 skilled volunteers, the new urban installation entitled Raíces (Roots) by Mexican artist José Rivelino Moreno-Valle (Jalisco, Mexico, 1973) was completed. On display until the end of February, the installation is surrounded by nearly 14 historical monuments in Mexico City. Constructed with 28 tons of steel covered with polyurethane and fiberglass, it expands over a surface of nearly 1.2 km (3/4 mi.). According to Alejandra Gilling, head of the Circuito de Galerías Abiertas of the City¿s Ministry of Culture, Raíces is one of the largest urban artworks created in Mexico City since 2006. The primordially interactive installation, will be present in several parts of the city, amid the most emblematic places of the Mexican capital, including the Plaza de las Tres Culturals in Tlatelolco, the Palacio de Bellas Artes, and the Museo Nacional de Arte. Artist José Rivelino already has a good repertoire of public work under his belt. Before Raíces, the work Nuestros Silencios (Our Silences, 2011) was displayed at the Zócalo-Mexico City¿s central square-after having travelled to several countries in Europe for a period of two years. Both Raíces and Nuestros Silencios attempt to question-and at the same time to remind us of¿who Mexicans are as a nation, as the product of their history and of painful and joyful moments. A grand coiled sculpture, Raíces outlines a path through the city that underscores the moments that are an integral part of the Mexican struggle and that led to the country that is today. But above all, without regard for any obstacles it may find on its path, the country is a nation that, like those roots, will continue to grow and develop. As a result, the public spaces represented to Rivelino the most authentic and honest spaces, neutral surroundings where the dialectic relationship between citizens and art can incite the contemplation of abstract complexities, such as the Mexican identity.