Mexico's Bicentennial Monument: Late, Costly, Un-Mexican

Mexican officials acknowledge that a huge monument meant to mark the 2010 bicentennial of Mexico's independence uprising is late, over cost and doesn't have much Mexican content.

The director of the company overseeing construction says two-thirds of the materials used in the onyx-clad tower were imported, largely from Brazil and Italy.

The internally lighted, translucent tower was supposed to cost around $35 million and be inaugurated on Sept. 15, 2010.

But company director Ignacio Lopez said Thursday the monument won't be finished until the end of 2011 and will cost around $90 million.

Formally known as the Pillar of Light, the tower has earned nicknames like "the Monument of Shame" and "the monument of Mexican Dependence."