History of Cuernavaca and Morelos
Rivera, Diego
Download6A1-RD-CM-E1_cp.jpg (428.1Kb)
Alternative Title
Palacio Cortés Murals
Date
1929-1930Description
Conquista de Mexico: Building of the Palace of Cortes (4.35 x 2.70 m); below in grisaille: Destruction of Indian Culture (0.81 x 2.35 m); The Palacio Cortés, begun in about 1530 but later altered several times, was once Cortés' residence and administrative headquarters. The first floor loggias offer splendid views of the city and its environs. The Palacio now houses, among other things, the Cuauhnáhuac regional history museum, documenting the history of the Cuernavaca area. Among many items of interest are the famous murals by Diego Rivera, commissioned by the then U.S. ambassador Dwight Morrow, father-in-law of the transatlantic flyer Charles Lindbergh, and painted in 1929 and 1930. They depict scenes from the Conquest, the history of Cuernavaca, the War of Independence and the Mexican Revolution. The image of Emiliano Zapata leading Hernán Cortés' white horse symbolizes the people's re-appropriation of the land. Source: PlanetWare Travel Guide; http://www.planetware.com/ (accessed 7/5/2008)
Type of Work
fresco (painting)Subject
cycles or series, historical, rulers and leaders, Cortés, Hernán, 1485-1547, Mexico History, Revolutionaries, Mexican Muralist, Twentieth century
Rights
Rights Statement
Licensed for educational and research use by the MIT community only