Mexico City's leader to speak at Rockefeller Chapel May 4

Cuauhtemoc Cardenas, governor of the Federal District of Mexico City, will give the address "Mexico in the 21st Century: Perspectives for the Future" at 6 p.m. Monday, May 4, in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. The audience is asked to seated by 5:45 p.m., when the doors to the chapel will be closed.

The talk, to be delivered in English, is Cardenas' primary public speaking engagement during a three-day Chicago visit, which coincides with the local celebration of the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo, which commemorates a major victory by Mexicans over foreign invaders in 1862.

Cardenas is a leading figure of the Revolutionary Democratic Party, Mexico's principal center-left party. He has been a key player in Mexico's democratic opposition since the 1988 election for the Mexican presidency, when he officially received 31 percent of the votes, the largest return for an opposition candidate since the Revolutionary Institutional Party began its rule of the country nearly 70 years ago. Cardenas is the first elected governor since 1929.

Cardenas' visit to the University was arranged by the Center for Latin American Studies and the Mexican Studies Program. Prior to his talk, he will meet privately with students and faculty members to discuss current affairs in Mexico City.

For more information on the speech, call 702-8420.