Cinephiles from around the world will head to Parque Fundidora in August for the eighth annual Monterrey International Film Festival: “One Planet, Millions of Stories.” Since its launch, the festival has screened more than 1,000 films from all five continents, propelled by a philosophy that film promotes “understanding, trust, and peace among nations.”
Once the largest iron and steel foundry in Latin America, the 282- acre public park
now features miles of walking trails, lakes, an open-air theater, a parrot house, three museums, and the Cintermex convention and exhibition center. More than two million visitors each year come to enjoy ice-skating, live concerts, and boat rides along the Santa Lucia canal. The park, located in the heart of Monterrey, has been named a treasured archaeological site in Mexico for its historical ruins of blast furnaces and foundry buildings.
The best way to wrap up a tour at Monterrey’s famed Cuauhtémoc brewery is with a
tall glass of Dos Equis or Carta Blanca in the shaded beer garden. The brewery, founded in 1890, produces some of Mexico’s most recognized brews, including Sol and Tecate. On display in the garden area are historic brewery machines and a century-old beer truck. Free tours are offered in both English and Spanish.
The city’s museum of contemporary art, affectionately known as MARCO, is renowned for its
extensive collection of major Mexican and Latin American artists, including Frida Kahlo — and the building itself is a post- modern architectural gem, designed by Ricardo Legorreta. Guarding the main entrance is The Dove, a mammoth 20-foot, four-ton bronze sculpture created by Mexican master sculptor Juan Soriano.
The 165-suite Quinta Real Monterrey drips in elegance of days gone by, evoking
the charm of an 18th-century estate with the comforts of a modern hotel. The executive tower offers a library, a lounge, and meeting space, and Cintermex is just 15 minutes away. Guests are welcomed with a cocktail as they arrive in the lavish, marble lobby decorated with hand-carved sculptures of archangels and horses.