Palacio de Bellas Artes

Begun in 1904 but not completed until 1934 due to political issues and of course that ongoing issue of the sinking soil of Mexico City. It is just a spectacular building featuring art Nouveau exterior styling with a true art deco interior. And, featuring many world class murals including the redo of Diego Rivera’s masterpiece, Man, Controller of the Universe. He originally did this in Rockefeller center in New York, but Nelson Rockefeller, seeing that Lenin was included in the mural had it totally removed. So, Riviera redid it here. The opulence of the building and its main actual use for performing arts creates a strong sense of tension with the muralists who emphasized the plight of the workers and the revolutionary causes they represented. You have to wonder what the wealthy patrons thought as they were sort of forced to see all of these murals?