Mural Paintings

Mural of the Meeting of Moctezuma & Hernán Cortés

Ubicaci�n José María Pino Suárez, esq. El Salvador, Centro Histórico, Alc. Cuauhtémoc, 06010 CDMX

Public Art/Monuments

Cárcamo Museum

Ubicaci�n Av Rodolfo Neri Vela S/N, Bosque de Chapultepec II Secc.

Chapultepec y Paseo de la Reforma (15 lugares)

Auditorio “Javier Barros Sierra”

Ubicaci�n Facultad de Ingenieria, Escolar 3000, C.U., Alc. Coyoacán, 04510 CDMX

Public Art/Monuments

La Raza Medical Complex

Ubicaci�n Colonia La Raza, Azcapotzalco, 02990 CDMX

Historic Sites/Bldgs

Teatro de los Insurgentes

Ubicaci�n Av. de los Insurgentes Sur 1587, Col San José Insurgentes, Benito Juárez, 03900 CDMX

Theatrical City

Palacio de Bellas Artes

Ubicaci�n Av. Juárez S/N, Centro Histórico Cuauhtémoc, 06050 CDMX

Centro Histórico (Imperdibles)

Mural Paintings dominated the Mexican art scene for most of the first half of the 20th century. It's still often a characteristic of the arts today. In fact, some of those best represented in the sites we've listed are still alive and working. And Mexico City's Street Art of Today is well aware that its history begins in the years of the Mexican Revolution.

As a movement, it consolidated with the support of José Vasconcelos. He was the first Rector of the National University and later Secretary of Public Education. Perhaps most shocking, the mural painting movement is a decidedly anti-Modernist movement. Favoring figuration over abstraction, and social engagement, muralism grew to influence nearly every other field of art over the course of the 20th century. Coupled with the Functionalist architecture of the same period, mural painting gives you precisely the unique combination of styles, motifs, and legendary personalities that define the Mexico City of today.

It's a lot to look at. But the mural paintings remain prescient in the minds, hearts, and spirit of Mexico City residents - even now. Keep in mind, these listings don't include the thousands of much newer street-art murals still being produced in our own time. For a quick overview (heh heh), look down from Cablebús Line 2 over Iztapalapa. And keep your eyes peeled across the City.