Mexico City · Centro Histórico
Palacio Nacional murals
Diego Rivera painted the history of Mexico on a government staircase, and it is still a government building
The main staircase: conquest, colony, revolution and future across three walls
Rivera worked on the staircase and the corridor of the national palace between 1929 and 1951, producing the most ambitious single account of Mexican history ever painted: the Aztec world on one wall, the conquest and colonial period on the next, and a future that includes Marx pointing the way.
The building still houses federal offices, admission is free with identification and can be suspended without notice, which means checking on the day. When it is open, it is the single best free hour of culture in this guide.
The detail
Good to know
- Painted
- 1929 to 1951
- Artist
- Diego Rivera
- Admission
- Free with identification
- Caution
- Access can close at short notice
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