In the shadow of oil

During the 1980s, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Mexico’s oil expropriation, Pedro Meyer traveled throughout the Mexican republic to document the social project of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), capturing over 16,000 photographs. Beyond industrial structures, his images revealed the human element driving that machinery. With this material, he created *Los cohetes duraron todo el día* (1987), a book that was censored, with only 300 copies—out of the 5,000 printed—remaining in the author’s possession. Nearly 40 years after that obscure episode, Meyer reexamines his photographic archive and revives the project in this present book. Featuring a text by historian Juan Miguel Zunzunegui, the work invites reflection on the myths of Pemex and the fusion of machinery, workforce, and politics, re-emerging as a vital book that illuminates Mexico’s visual and historical narrative.