Historical & Hip: Mai Tai Tomás Travels To México City
Chapter Five: Diego Rivera Mural Day
Day Five: Passports Please, No Dark Glasses, The History of Mexico In One Hour, Getting Rivera Public Education, Ruins At Lunch, What Piece Of Paper?, A Walk In The Park, Who Are These People?, Is That Mel Brooks?, Give Me A Shot and Our Last Rooftop Restaurant
Today would be our day to learn about the history of Mexico courtesy of Diego Rivera’s famous murals at the Palacio Nacional, which stretches across the east side of the Zócalo.
In an Estados Unidos lapse, I ducked into a nearby Starbucks and a Krispy Kreme for a quick breakfast. Don’t judge me, I was hungry and thirsty, and they were both open early. Tracy put a demerit on my world traveler card afterward. On the other hand, I was attempting to protect the environment.
After our unhealthy breakfast, the three of us met up with Tim and Sheila. I had pre-booked (a must) a 10:30 free English-speaking tour of the Palacio Nacional ([email protected]). But first we had to cross the street to the Museum of Art of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit to check in. Security throughout the process was very tight, and we had to hand over our passport or driver’s license, which would be returned after the tour. Among many rules was “do not wear sun glasses, but you can have them on your head.”
Our guide called out our names and asked us to form a line. Mine was the first name called, I assume because they wanted to keep an eye on me. At 10:30 we entered the grounds of Palacio Nacional, which originally began construction in 1522 on the site of an Aztec palace. It was intended to serve as the second home of Cortés, but I don’t think he ever lived here. It became the residence of the colonial viceroys and was called Palace of the Viceroy (or Royal House of the Viceroys). A lot of the palace was destroyed in a massive fire in 1692 and rebuilt over the course of many decades. After Mexican independence in 1821, it was renamed the Palacio Nacional and became the seat of the executive, legislative and judicial powers. Since 2018 the palace has been the official residence for the President of Mexico.
The group walked through an interior courtyard (one of 14) and into a cactus garden. We were accompanied by armed guards throughout the tour, so I decided to be on my best behavior. Lots of gardens dot the palace grounds (many not accessible to tourists), and this one contains plants that are indigenous to the Mexican desert.
Near the cactus garden stands the Capilla de la Emperatriz (Royal Chapel).
Entering the main courtyard we were told we could take photos of the fountain topped by Pegasus, however we could not take any photos toward the south of the courtyard. We surmised that was the direction toward the president’s quarters, and with armed guards 15 feet away I didn’t even dare to look that direction.
Palacio Nacional’s claim to fame are the second floor murals of Diego Rivera.
The first one we would focus on is painted in a staircase, and it is a marvel. You used to be able to ascend that staircase, but we were led to another one and headed toward the famous mural.
Rivera’s The History of Mexico is something to behold. It was here our tour guide stopped as she explained every detail of it.(remember. if you click on the photo it will enlarge and you can see more detail)
The three-section mural was designed to depict a different era of Mexican history. There’s really no way to show the entire mural, so we start with the mural on the right (north) side of the stairwell. Our guide said this section focuses on the ancient Aztecs, hence its name The Aztec World. Coincidentally Stephen, Tim and I have often been described as ancient Aztecs. You’ve got everything in this mural from the volcano blowing to a pyramid to Quetzalcoatal (Aztec version of a feathered serpent God) taking off in the top right. The rest of the mural depicts Aztec life and their class and warfare struggles.
Our guide led us through at least a 20-minute description of the center mural entitled From the Conquest to 1930. There is everything from the Spanish Conquest by Cortés to French rule and Emperor Maximillian to the US Invasion in the War of 1847.
She shared that the eagle at the center reflects the center of the Mexican flag and gave us many tidbits more about this panel and pointed out historical figures with a laser. As our friend Mr. Spock would say, “Fascinating.”
The panel on the left is entitled Mexico Today and Tomorrow, which was painted some years later in 1935. Rivera’s wife Frida Kahlo is shown behind the woman in red below. Kahlo is wearing a hammer and sickle pendant. Capitalists like John D. Rockefeller are shown and anticapitalists such as Karl Marx are conveyed as “pointing workers towards a vision of a future industrialized and socialized land of peace and plenty.”
The entire mural and the history our tour guide weaved made this one of the most impressive tours I’ve ever been on, and as informative as the tour had been up to now, there were still a few more Rivera murals for us to view before departing.
We moved to another hallway.
Painters and dyers shows people preparing pigments and dyeing fabric.
The main food of Mesoamerican was corn, so Maize demonstrates the various methods of preparing it.
Featherwork art and gold smith was followed by Festivals and Ceremonies.
Finally we looked at The arrival of Hernán Cortéz in Veracruz. Submission and destruction were depicted in this mural.
Rivera began his Palacio Nacional mural project in 1929.
The last one he painted here was in 1951.
It was his intention to cover the second floor with them, but he ran out of time.
We then entered into the parliamentary chamber, which at one time was the seat of government.
Even here, Tracy eyed another ceiling photo.
Outsi
