polity mexico post revolutionconcept:movement muralism mexican
History of Mexico (National Palace Murals)
Fresco mural cycle by Diego Rivera, 1929–1951. Painted on the stairwell and corridors of the Palacio Nacional (National Palace), Mexico City — the seat of the Mexican federal government. The murals span over 1,400 square meters and depict Mexican history from the Aztec world through the conquest, colonial era, independence, and Revolution, concluding with Rivera's vision of a communist future. The central stairwell mural is considered the supreme statement of the Mexican muralist program.
Scholarly Significance
Rivera's National Palace History of Mexico mural cycle — grandest muralist program; political context and iconography; upgraded from stub.
Notes
- ·Rivera worked on the National Palace murals on and off from 1929 to 1951.
- ·The central stairwell depicts the entire sweep of Mexican history from Aztec civilization to Rivera's utopian communist future.
- ·Key historical figures depicted: Moctezuma, Hernán Cortés (as villain), Miguel Hidalgo, Emiliano Zapata, Karl Marx.
- ·Commissioned under Minister of Public Education José Vasconcelos.