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The History of Mexico
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Diego Rivera: The History of Mexico (detail)
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Diego Rivera: The History of Mexico (detail)
Diego Rivera: The History of Mexico (detail) Detail from the west wall of the mural The History of Mexico, by Diego Rivera, 1929–35; in the National Palace, Mexico City, Mexico. This detail includes scenes of Spanish conquistadors exploiting the labor of indigenous Mexicans, and, above, a scene representing the Mexican-American War.

The History of Mexico

mural by Rivera
Written by
Carol King
Carol King is a London-based freelance writer with a love of art who studied English literature at the University of Sussex. She has a degree in fine art from London's Central Saint Martins art school. 
Carol King
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History

The History of Mexico, mural painted within a grand stairwell within the National Palace in Mexico City by Diego Rivera over a period of six years, from 1929 to 1935. Commissioned by the government of Mexico, it describes Mexico from the time before the arrival of Europeans, through conquest and various wars, including those for independence, and finally to a future imagined as a workers’ paradise.

Rivera’s ardent communism was a strong influence on the content of his art. He believed that art should have a social function. This led him to become involved in the Mexican mural movement, which produced large-scale narrative works for public spaces. His hope was that these paintings would empower his people in a quest for national and cultural identity and convey a Marxist political ideology. The History of Mexico is typical of his colorful tableaux of historical events, showing the struggle of the indigenous peoples against the foreign attempts to conquer them.

The north wall depicts the Aztec world, with Quetzalcóatl seated in the center, surrounded by scenes of Aztec life, which include not only agriculture and art but also warfare and resistance. The west wall, in the center of the staircase, shows in the lower part scenes from the Spanish conquest, including the destruction of Aztec buildings and the erection of European-type structures, the burning of codices, and the arrival of Roman Catholic missionaries. Recessed arches above detail the rule of Emperor Maximilian, the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz, the Mexican Revolution, the reform period led by Benito Juárez, and the Mexican-American War. The north wall, the last part of the mural to be painted, shows farmers laboring, buildings being constructed, and the teaching of children. This section includes a portrait of his wife, Frida Kahlo. Farther up are scenes of corruption and exploitation, and finally Karl Marx pointing the way to a just society.

Carol King