La Gran Puerta de México (Mexico's Great Gateway)

With works such as Ciudad Juárez’s X and the Guerrero Chimalli, the sculptor known as Sebastián (real name Enrique Carbajal) is considered the go-to figure for massive, government-funded public artworks in Mexico. A majority of these are monochrome abstract figures—often red—and La Gran Puerta de México is no exception.

The Northern city of Matamoros, opposite the border from Brownsville, Texas, is the country’s easternmost northern border crossing. As such, it can be considered a gateway into Mexico, so it makes sense that Sebastián’s sculpture in the city would be a conceptual representation of such a portal. Inaugurated as part of the celebrations for the city’s 181st anniversary, the sculpture consists of two curved towers united by a cube, giving it the appearance of a capital letter “M.”

Per the creator, the “M” stands for both Matamoros and Mexico. The sculpture is located in the city’s Parque Cultural Olímpico (Olympic Cultural Park).