Palacio Nacional Murals by Diego Rivera (Interpretation and Analysis)

Exploitation of Mexico by Spanish Conquistadors

Photo Credit: Wolfgang Sauber

Today, I want to chat about a piece of art created by the famous Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. Rivera’s work often celebrates the culture and history of Mexico, as well as the lives of “salt of the earth,” ordinary people. Both of these themes are exemplified in Rivera’s series of murals located in the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City, a building that houses governmental offices. The murals depict the history of Mexico, dating from the pre-Columbian period to the twentieth century.

I read a great essay about the murals, which explains that the government commissioned them because “The Mexican government craved a change in their style of leadership. Leadership pushed for a mural and art movement throughout the country. The government shifted from the ideologist of the nineteenth century into a modern political and social model.”

Like Rafael Rivera García’s Batéy murals, which I talked about yesterday, Rivera’s murals approach Mexico’s history from an anti-colonialist standpoint. They deconstruct the formation of the state, positioning the pre-Columbian peoples as the social and cultural bedrock of the modern, Mexican nation, while critiquing European encroachment in Central America. This juxtaposition can be seen in his mural of Tenochtitlan and his Mural of the Exploitation of Mexico by Spanish Conquistadors, both located in the Palacio Nacional.

Tenochtitlan
Source: Wikipedia

His work depicts Tenochtitlan as a neat and orderly city, inhabited by an industrious and affluent populace. In this vision, Tenochtitlan is both past and present: an image of Mexico’s glorious and rich cultural heritage and a promise of continued prosperity in the future. Rivera’s imagery draws, in some ways, from the European motif of the ideal city: a stand in for general virtuosity. In contrast, his Mural of the Exploitation of Mexico by Spanish Conquistadors is a nightmare scene, peopled by dispossessed Aztecs, enslaved or hanging dead from trees. Here, the Spaniards are disruptors, a force of chaos and violence. The mural is reminiscent of European depictions of Hell from the Medieval period, with the Spaniards standing in for devils tormenting the damned.

Rivera studied in Europe, and — although Rivera famously rejoiced when he returned home to Mexico — the influence of his time there is clearly visible in his work. While his murals celebrate the pre-Columbian past, his work itself is distinctly postcolonial, utilizing European motifs while critiquing the history of European brutality in the Americas. This contrast is representative of the complex struggle of postcolonial peoples to reclaim their cultural identity while grappling with the unavoidable fact that returning to a pre-colonial world is not an option.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.