Cruz Azul and Tolteca: Cement Standardization and Biopolitics in Post-Revolutionary Advertising

Abstract

This article examines the biopolitical iconography of cement through Cruz Azuland Tolteca advertisements from the 1930s. Despite their artistic differences,the designers for both brands codified the biopolitical power of cement throughthe concept of the standardization of modern urbanism. This representationmade cement a material capable of uniting the physical and ideological constructionof buildings, cities, environments and the bodies of citizens. This visualdiscourse is analyzed with a focus on urban standardization and the democraticconsumption of cement.