The Murals by Diego Rivera at the National Palace in Mexico City - Part 2

On the arcaded upper floor of the middle inner courtyard of the Palacio National, there are murals painted by Diego Rivera between 1942 and 1951 depicting the life of the Aztecs before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.  The last mural depicts the arrival of Hernan Cortez.   Note:  Click on any photo to view it full screen.

 

 Cocoa - Diego Rivera - 1950

A man is harvesting the fruit from the cocoa tree while a woman is loading her basket with the fruit. 

In the background, the beans are drying in the sun.  Once dried, they are ground on a matate, then mixed with water to make a drink called xocoatl.  The beans were also a form of currency.

Amate Fig Tree and Maguey - Diego Rivera - 1951

The maguey (agave) and the nopal (cactus) are sources of food and also used in the construction of their homes.  Pulque, a fermented drink made from the agave, is being made.  The process of making amate paper is shown which comes from the bark of the fig tree. 
All of these murals have a Grisaille at the bottom.  A Grisaille is a painting executed entirely in shades of grey or of another neutral greyish colour.

Maize - Diego Rivera - 1950

This mural is dedicated to the importance of corn in the Aztec's culture, being their main staple and the diversity of how it was prepared (grinding it on a matate, making tortillas and tamales).  Behind the women is Chicomecoatl.  In Nahuatl, it means "Seven Serpent",  goddess of subsistence, mainly corn.   To the right is the goddess of water, Chalchiuhtilicue.  In the background are the chinampas.  The Aztecs built fertile riverbeds called chinampas for most of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) was a large lake where they were able to grow their crops. 

The Rubber-Banding and Milking - Diego Rivera - 1950

 

The bark of the tree is cut and the resin is extracted.  The resin is processed into an elastic material.

Festivals and Ceremonies (Totonaca Culture) - Diego Rivera - 1950

 

It was amazing the amount of trade between different societies existed.   On the left, the people of central Mexico are portrayed.  They are carrying the god of merchants, Yacatecuhtil. 

The group on the right from the gulf coast, the Totonaca, have brought fruits of the region, vanilla, tobacco and vanilla to trade.

 In the background there is the pyramid of the Niches in Tajin, Veracruz.  Along with the ball court on the left and in the middle you will see the Volvadores, (the flying pole dance). It is a centuries old tradition, one that the Aztecs performed.  A tall pole is set up in the middle of a plaza, fitted with a small (and I mean small!) revolving platform on top.   Four fliers and a musician climb to the top. The flyers wear a hat with a crest of feathers which give reference to eagles or macaws, the birds dedicated to the sun.  With a rope around one leg, the flyers swing around the pole, upside down until they reach the ground.

 

Feather work Art and Goldsmith (Zapotec culture) - Diego Rivera - 1942

The Zapotecs are from the Oaxaca area, a region rich in gold, jade and coral.  At the top, they are depicted panning for gold in the river.

Those who worked with feathers were called amantecas.  Birds with colorful plumage were captured and brought back to their tallers (workshops) where elaborate head dresses (penachos) and shields were made from the feathers.  Only high priests and governors were allowed to wear these garments.

This grisaille shows the extraction of semi-precious stones, carving sculptures and the trade of these pieces.

Painters and Dyers - Diego Rivera - 1942

The Tarascan or Purpechas occupied the states of Michoacan, Guanajuato and Jalisco.   They are preparing pigments, dyeing fabrics and cultivating the natural brown fabric called coyuche.

The Great Tenochtitlan, Tlatelolco's market view - Diego Rivera - 1945

 

One could spend hours taking in this large mural, roughly 32' x 16'. 

In 1345 the Aztecs built the city on the Lake Texcoco.  It took them decades to dredge the lake and build the foundations.   It shows the multicultural population of Mexico with a phenomenal infrastructure with its roads, temples, plazas and different neighborhoods.  All indicating a city of great wealth and prosperity.

Scholars have estimated that 20,000 to 40,000 people used the market daily  and the 60,000 on a special market day.  The market had everything, all in a specific spot:  gold, jade, coral, flowers, fruit, corn, cocoa, salt, tools, hides, fish, deer, dogs, herbs, amate, weavings... all coming from the Mexican basin and further away.

A great view of the Chinampas.  The ruler or Tlatoani (dressed in white in the lower left corner) sitting in his palanquin overseeing all the transactions.  In the background are the snow capped mountains and the volcanoes of Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl.

 

The tattooed woman with the crown of Calla Lilies is Xochiquetzal, the goddess of flowers and love.  She is presented with gifts and a war trophy, the severed arm of an enemy.  

 

It was slaves with only a loin cloth on that carried the supplies.  The Templo Mayer rises up in the background with bloodstains on the stairs.

The Aztec bartered with goods and also used cocoa beans as currency.

To this day, one of the oldest skills around, Petates are woven straw mats that serve as blankets, rugs, tablecloths and beds.  Up from my home in San Miguel de Allende, there was a very nice man that would ride his bike into town and on the back of his bike he had rolled up petates for sale.  He was at the same corner every week.  I loved it.

A family dining from a ceramic vessel depicting Tlaloc, the Aztec rain god.

 

A visit to the dentist with all his herbal remedies.

 The Arrival of Hernan Cortez in Veracruz - Diego Rivera - 1951

Veracruz (formerly known as La Villa de la Vera Cruz) was founded by Hernan Cortez on April 22, 1519.  It was the port of entry for the the conquerors and along with Christianity, slavery, cattle and the old world culture.

Miscegenation is represented here with the Spaniard and the native women carrying their child on her back, note the intense green-blue eyes.

 

It is a huge body of work and each mural is breathtaking.  Hopefully next October I will be able to lead another tour to Mexico City and a morning at the National Palace is a must.