Mérida remembers superstar Pedro Infante 60 years after tragic crash
Mérida, Yucatán — Plans have been announced to build a commemorative park near the site where famous Mexican actor Pedro Infante crashed his plane 60 years ago today.
Infante, considered by many as one of the greatest actors of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, was only 39 and at the height of his career.
The handsome leading man had appeared in more than 60 films starting in 1939, and he had recorded about 350 songs.
On the morning of April 15, 1957, Infante took off from the international airport in a converted B-24 bomber. Five minutes later, it crashed at Calle 54 Sur and 87, in the so-called “second frame” of the capital.
The plane crashed in the courtyard of a building where today a store does business. This is the area where the new park will be built.
Mayor Mauricio Vila Dosal told the press that an official announcement, and more details, will be forthcoming in the next few days.
The memorial to the Sinaloan star, who had a home in Mérida, was erected at Calle 62 and 91, years ago. Depicting the film idol on a horse, it is one of the largest statues in Mérida. It will remain in place while a second statue — and the country’s fifth honoring Infante — will be erected at the park.
A series of cultural activities celebrates the 60th anniversary of Infante’s death, and will continue throughout the year, the mayor said.
The star’s death was first announced by radio personality Húmberto Sánchez-Rodríguez on Mérida radio station XEMH. Although, like Elvis, rumors of a death have continued on, the announcer confirmed the tragedy after a firefighter discovered a bracelet engraved with the name “Pedro Infante” among the wreckage.
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