The lobby of the Palacio de Bellas Artes hosts this Friday, October 30, at 12:30, the posthumous lying-in-state tribute to the engineer Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Solórzano, who died on Wednesday, October 28, as reported by the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (INBAL) on its social media. The ceremony is held two days after his death and in the same venue that in 1997 received Heberto Castillo.
Cárdenas was governor of Michoacán from 1980 to 1986, head of government of the Federal District from 1997 to 1999, a three-time presidential candidate and founder of the Partido de la Revolución Democrática. INBAL described him as a fundamental figure in national political life and a promoter of democratic opening in Mexico. Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, already led a guard of honor beside the coffin, accompanied by Lázaro Cárdenas Batel, according to Aristegui Noticias. The guard was joined by applause with which those present broke the solemnity of the gathering, according to the same outlet.
The family hopes the tribute will be held with the body present, so the cremation scheduled for Thursday afternoon at the Panteón Francés was postponed, El Universal reported based on sources close to the family. The cemetery grounds were overwhelmed by wreaths and floral arrangements, according to Aristegui's coverage. Among those attending the wake were the head of government Clara Brugada, the attorney general Ernestina Godoy, the governor of Michoacán Alfredo Ramírez and the president of Morena, Ariadna Montiel.
Bellas Artes has also honored leading figures of Mexican culture, such as Juan Gabriel, Cantinflas, Silvia Pinal, Octavio Paz and Frida Kahlo. With the October 30 tribute, the venue revives a practice that in 1997 marked the farewell of a left-wing presidential candidate, in a ceremony attended by Cárdenas and the then head of government Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The family and INBAL have not detailed the full program of the ceremony or whether there will be remarks by representatives of the different political forces. The public agenda this weekend centers on the farewell to the engineer from Michoacán.
This article was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.
